debit

Where does the word "debit" come from? It comes from Latin debitum, and was adopted directly into English (1550s).

Debit’s story begins in Latin: debitum meant “a thing owed.” A thing owed, from debere (to owe). It reached English by 1550s as debit. Settled as the accounting word for money owed or withdrawn. Today, debit means an entry recording an amount owed or deducted from an account.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient debitum "a thing owed", a thing owed, from debere (to owe).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1550s debit "an amount deducted from an account", settled as the accounting word for money owed or withdrawn.