Invest
mid 16th century (in the senses ‘clothe’, ‘clothe with the insignia of a rank’, and ‘endow with authority’): from French investir or Latin investire, from in- ‘into, upon’ + vestire ‘clothe’ (from vestis ‘clothing’). invest (sense 1) (early 17th century) is influenced by Italian investire .
wiktionary
Borrowed from Middle French investir or Medieval Latin investire, from Latin investio(“to clothe, cover”), from in-(“in, on”) + vestio(“to clothe, dress”), from vestis(“clothing”); see vest. The sense “to spend money etc.” probably via Italian investire, of the same root. [1]
From investigate, by shortening
etymonline
invest (v.)
late 14c., "to clothe in the official robes of an office," from Latin investire "to clothe in, cover, surround," from in "in, into" (from PIE root *en "in") + vestire "to dress, clothe," from PIE *wes- (2) "to clothe," extended form of root *eu- "to dress."
The meaning "use money to produce profit" is attested from 1610s in connection with the East Indies trade, and it is probably a borrowing of a special use of Italian investire (13c., from the same Latin root) via the notion of giving one's capital a new form. The figurative sense of "to clothe (with attributes)" is from c. 1600. The military meaning "to besiege, surround with hostile intent" also is from c. 1600. Related: Invested; investing.
