debtor
debtor Lexical Profile
debtor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person, institution, or country that owes money or a financial obligation to another party.
"The bank negotiated a revised repayment schedule with the struggling debtor."
In double-entry bookkeeping, the left-hand side of an account where debits and assets owed to a business are recorded.
"The accountant entered the outstanding invoice on the debtor side of the ledger."
Word Nuance & Usage
The 'b' in 'debtor' is silent, inserted by 16th-century scholars to reflect its Latin root 'debitor'. Care should be taken not to confuse a 'debtor' (one who owes money) with a 'creditor' (one to whom money is owed).
• Rhymes for debtor
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 13th century from Anglo-French 'dettur' and Old French 'detor', from Latin 'debitor' ('one who owes'), derived from the verb 'debere' ('to owe'). The silent 'b' was reintroduced during the Renaissance by etymologizing scribes.