debenture
[dih-ben-cher]
- certificate of indebtedness.
- a certificate of drawback issued at a custom house.
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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)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for debenture
Historical Examples
The discovery of the debenture is perhaps only a coincidence.
Metapsychical PhenomenaJ. Maxwell
I don't need to know what a debenture is, when Mr. Batchgrew's mixed up in it.
The Price of LoveArnold Bennett
She had an idea that a debenture was, if anything, more fatal than a share.
The Price of LoveArnold Bennett
He first thought of trying to explain to her just what a debenture was.
The Price of LoveArnold Bennett
She could not for a fortune have defined the difference between a debenture and a share.
The Price of LoveArnold Bennett
debenture
- 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
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Word Origin
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
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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).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper