Where does “debt” come from?
Debt comes from Middle English dett, from Old French dete, from Latin debita, past participle of debere meaning to owe, ultimately from Latin habere meaning to have.
debt (English): An action, state of mind, or object one has an...
Definitions
- An action, state of mind, or object one has an...
Ancestry of “debt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | dette | Goods or possessions owed to or due to another... |
| 2 | Old French | dete | debt |
| 3 | Latin | dēbita | — |
| 4 | Latin | dēbitus | owed |
| 5 | Latin | dēbeō | to owe something, to be under obligation to and for something |
| 6 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 7 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 8 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 9 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |