/
ˈdɪvɪdɛnd/
n.
   - a sum of money that is divided among a number of people, such as the part of a company's profits paid to its shareholders or the winnings from a football pool. 
▸an individual's share of this money.
 - 
(dividends)
 a benefit from an action or policy:
 the policy would pay dividends in the future.
 - Mathematics  a number to be divided by another number.
 
Etymology
C15: from Anglo-Norman Fr. dividende, from L. dividendum ‘something to be divided’, from dividere (see divide).