Ponzi
|Pon-zi|
/ˈpɒnzi/
fraudulent investment scheme
Etymology
'Ponzi' originates from the name of Charles Ponzi, an Italian swindler who became infamous for using this type of scheme in the early 20th century.
'Ponzi' became synonymous with fraudulent investment schemes after Charles Ponzi's operations in the 1920s.
Initially, it referred to Charles Ponzi himself, but over time it evolved to describe the type of fraudulent scheme he popularized.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a type of investment scam where returns are paid to earlier investors using the capital from newer investors, rather than from profit earned by the operation of a legitimate business.
The scheme was revealed to be a Ponzi, leaving many investors with significant losses.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/01/11 11:42