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debenture

[dih-ben-cher]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR debenture ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

certificate of indebtedness.
a certificate of drawback issued at a custom house.

Origin of debenture

1425–75; late Middle English debentur < Latin dēbentur (mihi) there are owing (to me), 3rd person plural passive indicative of dēbēre to owe (see debt)
Related formsde·ben·tured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for debenture

voucher, bond, I.O.U.

Examples from the Web for debenture

Historical Examples of debenture

  • The discovery of the debenture is perhaps only a coincidence.

  • She could not for a fortune have defined the difference between a debenture and a share.

    The Price of Love

    Arnold Bennett

  • She had an idea that a debenture was, if anything, more fatal than a share.

    The Price of Love

    Arnold Bennett

  • I don't need to know what a debenture is, when Mr. Batchgrew's mixed up in it.

    The Price of Love

    Arnold Bennett

  • He first thought of trying to explain to her just what a debenture was.

    The Price of Love

    Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for debenture

debenture

noun

Also called: debenture bond a long-term bond, bearing fixed interest and usually unsecured, issued by a company or governmental agency
a certificate acknowledging the debt of a stated sum of money to a specified person
a customs certificate providing for a refund of excise or import duty
Derived Formsdebentured, adjective

Word Origin for debenture

C15: from Latin phrase dēbentur mihi there are owed to me, from dēbēre to owe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for debenture
n.

"written acknowledgment of a debt," early 15c., from Latin debentur "there are due" (said to have been the first word in formal certificates of indebtedness), passive present third person plural of debere "to owe" (see debt).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper