debit
DEB-it
/ˈdɛbɪt/
An entry recording an amount owed, or money taken from an account; to remove money from an account.
Represents a reduction in an account balance. Often used with 'debit card' for direct payment from a checking account.
The story behind the word. The word 'debit' comes from the Latin verb 'debere', meaning 'to owe'. In accounting, a debit is an entry that records an amount owed or a decrease in a liability or an increase in an asset. It's fundamentally about what is 'due' or 'owed' from an account.
Word relationships
- charge: A charge is a general term for an amount to be paid; a debit is a specific accounting entry for money taken out.
- deduction: A deduction is an amount subtracted; a debit is a specific type of subtraction from a financial account.
- credit: Debit is money taken out; credit is money put in or available to borrow.
Commonly confused with
- credit: 'Debit' refers to money taken from an account or an amount owed. 'Credit' generally refers to money added to an account or the ability to borrow.
Word family
- debt (noun): a sum of money that is owed or due.
- debtor (noun): a person or institution that owes money.
Collocations
- debit card
- direct debit
- debit an account
- debit entry
Example sentences
- "He used his debit card to pay for the groceries, and the amount was immediately debited from his checking account." Paying with a debit card.
- "The monthly utility bill appeared as a debit on her bank statement." Bank statement entry.
Memory hook
DEBIT means money DEBT-ed from your account. DEBT-ed
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'debt' (the state of owing money). A debit is an action or entry, not the overall state.
Fun facts
- The 'b' in 'debt' and 'debit' is a 'silent b', a common feature in English words borrowed from Latin where the 'b' was originally pronounced but later became silent.
Related words
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