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Meanings

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Thesaurus

Word family
Forms debts
Derived forms antidebtdebt-financeddebt-for-naturedebt-freedebt-ladendebt-riddendebteddebteedebtholderdebtlessdebtlikedequity
Related forms debitdebitordebtorindebtedowe

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Debt came through Old French from Latin debitum “something owed,” the past participle of debere “to owe.” Debit comes from the same source.

Etymology

From Middle English dette, dett, borrowed from Old French dete (French dette), from Medieval Latin dēbita, from Latin dēbitum (“what is owed, a debt, a duty”), neuter of dēbitus, perfect passive participle of dēbeō (“to owe”), contraction of *dehibeō (“I have from”), from de (“from”) + habeō (“to have”). Doublet of debit. The unpronounced "b" in the modern English spelling is a Latinisation from the Latin etymon dēbitum.

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