Added 7 October 2026
debt
/ˈdɛt/ noun
In Latin: dēbitum Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about debt at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An action, state of mind, or object one has an obligation to perform for another, adopt toward another, or give to another.
-
The state or condition of owing something to another.
I am in your debt.
- Money that one person or entity owes or is required to pay to another, generally as a result of a loan or other financial transaction.
Origin
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. Displaced native Old English eofot. The unpronounced "b" in the modern English spelling is a Latinisation from the Latin etymon dēbitum.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)