earn-out
n.— Note: OED has an entry for “earnout,” unhyphenated, added in September 2006, which defines the term as “a contractual provision whereby the seller of a business receives additional payments if the business achieves specified levels of future performance.” «As part of the original $4.1-billion bid, Skype shareholders were offered a lump sum of $2.4-billion, plus what is known as an “earn-out” clause, which would see the company receive an additional $1.7-billion if it met certain growth targets.» —“EBay’s bad Skype call” by Mathew Ingram Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada) Oct. 4, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
How colors got their names, and a strange way to write. The terms blue and orange arrived in English via French, so why didn’t we also adapt the French for black and white? • Not every example of writing goes in one direction across the page...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...