Investment

noun

1. The act of investing, or state of being invested.

   "Giving your children a good education is a wise long-term investment."

2. A placement of capital in expectation of deriving income or profit from its use or appreciation.
3. A vestment.
4. The act of surrounding, blocking up, or besieging by an armed force, or the state of being so surrounded.
5. A mixture of silica sand and plaster which, by surrounding a wax pattern, creates a negative mold of the form used for casting, among other metals, bronze.