Meaning

noun the excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses)

noun the advantageous quality of being beneficial

verb derive a benefit from

originFrom Middle English profit, from Old French profit (Modern French profit), from Latin prōfectus (“advance, progress, growth, increase, profit”), from proficiō (“to go forward, advance, make progress, be profitable or useful”). Doublet of profect.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0