debt

[det] /dɛt/
noun
1.
something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another:
a debt of $50.
2.
a liability or obligation to pay or render something:
My debt to her for advice is not to be discharged easily.
3.
the condition of being under such an obligation:
His gambling losses put him deeply in debt.
4.
Theology. an offense requiring reparation; a sin; a trespass.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English dette < Old French < Latin dēbita (neuter plural, taken in VL as feminine singular), noun use of dēbitus, past participle of dēbēre to owe, contraction of *dēhabēre, equivalent to dē- de- + habēre to have, possess
Related forms
debtless, adjective
superdebt, noun
Synonyms
1. obligation, duty, due.
Examples from the web for debts
  • Your mortgage payment becomes suddenly unmanageable, or a pile of debts gradually rises above your head.
  • She heard stories of children toiling in factories to pay off their parents' unending debts.
  • Members can only apply for future loans once the group catches up on some of its outstanding debts.
  • They may not be able to pay debts or pay for a wedding.
  • He apparently sued over debts as small as two shillings.
  • Some of his effects were auctioned off to pay his debts.
  • They must pledge everything they own to make good their syndicates' debts if losses outrun profits.
  • Their hours are long, their wages low, and many have debts from their schooling amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
  • What the pellet jobs are doing is paying off financial debts.
  • It's not normal or healthy to run up huge debts, public or private.
British Dictionary definitions for debts

debt

/dɛt/
noun
1.
something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services
2.
bad debt, a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid
3.
an obligation to pay or perform something; liability
4.
the state of owing something, esp money, or of being under an obligation (esp in the phrases in debt, in (someone's) debt)
5.
a temporary failure to maintain the necessary supply of something: sleep debt, oxygen debt
Derived Forms
debtless, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French dette, from Latin dēbitum, from dēbēre to owe, from de- + habēre to have; English spelling influenced by the Latin etymon
Word Origin and History for debts

debt

n.

late 13c., dette, from Old French dete, from Latin debitum "thing owed," neuter past participle of debere "to owe," originally, "keep something away from someone," from de- "away" (see de-) + habere "to have" (see habit). Restored spelling after c.1400.

debts in Medicine

debt (dět)
n.
Something that is deficient or required to restore a normal state.

debts in Culture

debt definition


Money, goods, or services owed by an individual, firm, or government to another individual, firm, or government.

debts in the Bible

The Mosaic law encouraged the practice of lending (Deut. 15:7; Ps. 37:26; Matt. 5:42); but it forbade the exaction of interest except from foreigners. Usury was strongly condemned (Prov. 28:8; Ezek. 18:8, 13, 17; 22:12; Ps. 15:5). On the Sabbatical year all pecuniary obligations were cancelled (Deut. 15:1-11). These regulations prevented the accumulation of debt.

Idioms and Phrases with debts

debt

see: head over heels (in debt)