Where does “debit” come from?
Debit comes from Middle French debet, from Latin debitum (something owed), derived from debere (to owe), which combines de with habere (to have).
debit (English): In bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column...
Definitions
- In bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column...
Ancestry of “debit”, step by step
debit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch debiet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | debiet | discharge |
| 2 | French | débit | flow, rate of flow; output; debit |
| 3 | Latin | dēbitum | A debt; something that is owed to another person or entity |
| 4 | Latin | dēbēre | — |
| 5 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 6 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 7 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
via Middle French debet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | debet | — |