indenture

[ in-den-cher ]

/ ɪnˈdɛn tʃər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR indenture ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a deed or agreement executed in two or more copies with edges correspondingly indented as a means of identification.

any deed, written contract, or sealed agreement.

a contract by which a person, as an apprentice, is bound to service.

any official or formal list, certificate, etc., authenticated for use as a voucher or the like.

the formal agreement between a group of bondholders and the debtor as to the terms of the debt.

indentation.

verb (used with object), in·den·tured, in·den·tur·ing.

to bind by indenture, as an apprentice.

Archaic. to make a depression in; wrinkle; furrow.

RELATED WORDS

compact, deed, contract, arrangement

Nearby words

Origin of indenture

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word indentūra. See indent¹, -ure

Related formsin·den·ture·ship, nounun·in·den·tured, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for indenture

The indenture in which the books are catalogued mentions nine books received before: possibly these were the gift of 1435.
Old English Libraries|Ernest Savage
He told Gideon he was going to record the indenture when we got to Leesburg and it would always stand in evidence against me.
Watch Yourself Go By|Al. G. Field
The canceling of the terms of indenture, he regarded as a secret act, intended merely to outwit his opponent.
Benjamin Franklin, A Picture of the Struggles of Our Infant Nation One Hundred Years Ago|John S. C. Abbott
I prefer an indenture tripartite, however musty or tiresome, to a triple tyrant, however fair or entertaining.
Tales And Novels, Volume 7 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth

When the court saw that these two halves fitted—as no other portions could—then indeed the indenture witnessed.
The Way of a Man|Emerson Hough

British Dictionary definitions for indenture

indenture

/ (ɪnˈdɛntʃə) /

noun

any deed, contract, or sealed agreement between two or more parties

(formerly) a deed drawn up in duplicate, each part having correspondingly indented edges for identification and security

(often plural) a contract between an apprentice and his master

a formal or official list or certificate authenticated for use as a voucher, etc

a less common word for indentation

verb

(intr) to enter into an agreement by indenture

(tr) to bind (an apprentice, servant, etc) by indenture

(tr) obsolete to indent or wrinkle

Derived Formsindentureship, noun

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 indenture

indenture

"contract for services," late 14c., from Anglo-French endenture, Old French endenteure "indentation," from endenter (see indent). Such contracts (especially between master craftsmen and apprentices) were written in full identical versions on a sheet of parchment, which was then cut apart in a zigzag, or "notched" line. Each party took one, and the genuineness of a document of indenture could be proved by juxtaposition with its counterpart. As a verb, 1650s, from the noun.