English
debit
Debit comes from Latin debitum ‘what is owed, a debt’, from debeō ‘to owe’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, take’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰeh₁bʰ-‘to grab, take’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰh₁bʰéh₁yetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*haβēō‘to have, hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeō‘have’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdebeōas debere, past participle‘to owe’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdebitum‘what is owed, a debt’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600debet
- Englishearliest quotation 1962debit
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰeh₁bʰ-‘to grab, take’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰh₁bʰéh₁yetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*haβēō‘to have, hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeō‘have’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdebeōas debere, past participle‘to owe’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdebitum‘what is owed, a debt’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600debet
- Englishearliest quotation 1962debit
Earliest quotation: 1962, The Victoria Line: “The economist also observed that some of the Victoria…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, take’
doubt, habitat, endeavor, dubious, javelin, gab, prohibitive, aver, 23 more
through Proto-Italic *haβēō ‘to have, hold’
through Latin habeō ‘have’
able, due, average, ability, exhibition, habit, prohibition, prohibit, inhibition, inhibit, haver, habilitation, 21 more
through Latin debeō ‘to owe’
Today it means
noun In bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- / debit