For Baraka_Guru's sake, here is the second part of the entry of "invest" in the OED that he is referring to:
Quote:
II. [after It. investire ‘..also, to laie out or emploie ones money vpon anie bargaine for aduantage’ (Florio, 1598). This sense is exemplified as early as 1333 in Vocab. della Crusca. It prob. passed through the Levant or Turkey Company into the East India Company's use.]
9. a. To employ (money) in the purchase of anything from which interest or profit is expected; now, esp. in the purchase of property, stocks, shares, etc., in order to hold these for the sake of the interest, dividends, or profits accruing from them.
b. absol. or intr. To make an investment, to invest capital; colloq. to lay out money, make a purchase. (So in It.)
c. To lay out money in betting on a horse race, or in football pools, etc.
|
Hope it clarifies his point for some of you; as you can see, the OED defines that particular usage of "invest" as a colloquialism, which as Baraka suggests, is a big no-no in serious writing.