indenture
indenture Lexical Profile
indenture Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A formal legal contract or deed, historically one binding an apprentice or laborer to work for a master for a specified period of years in exchange for passage, room, board, or trade instruction.
"Seven years of labor were required to fulfill the terms of his colonial indenture."
A formal written agreement between a bond issuer and bondholders specifying the terms, interest rate, maturity date, and protective covenants of a debt security.
"The corporate bond indenture restricted the company from taking on excessive additional debt."
A notch, recess, or deep indentation along an edge or surface.
"The rugged coastline was marked by a deep indenture where fishing boats sought shelter."
• verb
To bind a person by a legal contract to work for another for a specified period of time, such as an apprentice or servant.
"The impoverished family decided to indenture their eldest son to a local master printer."
• Rhymes for indenture
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English endenture, from Old French, ultimately from Medieval Latin indentatura, derived from Latin in- ('into') and dens ('tooth'). Historically, duplicate legal contracts were written on a single sheet of parchment and cut apart along a jagged, tooth-like line so the two halves could later be matched to verify authenticity.