turnovers
|turn-o-vers|
🇺🇸
/ˈtɝːnoʊvərz/
🇬🇧
/ˈtɜːnəʊvəz/
(turnover)
exchange or replacement
Etymology
'turnover' originates from English, specifically a compound of the verb 'turn' and the adverb 'over'. 'Turn' ultimately comes (via Old French 'torner' and Latin 'tornare') from roots meaning 'to rotate/round', and 'over' comes from Old English 'ofer' meaning 'above' or 'across'.
'turnover' developed from earlier phrases like 'turn over' (Middle English 'turnen over') meaning 'to turn something to the other side' and was later substantivized into 'turnover' to mean 'something turned over' and then gained figurative senses (pastry, sales, rate of change).
Initially it described the physical action 'to turn over' or 'something turned over'; over time it became a noun meaning both a folded/pocket pastry and abstract senses such as 'sales/revenue' and 'rate of staff replacement' or 'loss of possession' in sports.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a small folded pastry filled with fruit, meat, or other ingredients; a baked or fried pocket of filling.
I bought three turnovers for breakfast.
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Noun 2
(chiefly British) The total amount of money taken by a business in a particular period; sales or gross revenue.
The company's turnovers have grown steadily over the past 5 years.
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Noun 3
the rate at which staff leave and are replaced; employee departures (often used in plural).
High turnovers in the department have disrupted continuity.
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Noun 4
in sports, an instance in which a team loses possession of the ball to the opposing team (e.g., through a mistake or interception).
The team lost the game because of several costly turnovers.
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Last updated: 2025/12/26 09:21