The act of making something better, or the state of becoming better.
From 'improve' plus '-ment', originally from Anglo-French 'emprower' meaning 'to turn to profit'. Over time it shifted from making something more profitable to making it better in general.
Improvement doesn’t have to mean perfection; it just means ‘better than before’. The business-like origin (making something more profitable) hints at why people talk about ‘self-improvement’ as an investment.
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