owe

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English owen, from Old English āgan, from Proto-Germanic *aiganą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₂óyḱe (“to possess, own”), reduplicated stative of *h₂eyḱ- (“to own”). See also own, ought.

PronunciationEdit

(UK) IPA^(key): /əʊ/
(US) enPR: ō, IPA^(key): /oʊ/
Audio (US)
(file)
Homophones: o, oh
Rhymes: -əʊ

VerbEdit

owe (third-person singular simple present owes, present participle owing, simple past owed or (archaic) ought, past participle owed or (archaic) own)

(transitive) To be under an obligation to give something back to someone or to perform some action for someone.
- 1854, Charles Dickens, Hard Times, Chapter 7:
  He inherited a fair fortune from his uncle, but owed it all before he came into it, and spent it twice over immediately afterwards.
(intransitive) To have debt; to be in debt.

Usage notesEdit

The original past tense form was ought, which during Middle English began to be used with indefinite signification and has become a distinct verb. The original past participle has become the adjective own.

TranslationsEdit

to be under an obligation

Belarusian: быць у абавя́зку impf (bycʹ u abavjázku), му́сіць impf (músicʹ), быць паві́нен impf (bycʹ pavínjen)
Dutch: schuldig zijn
Finnish: olla velkaa
French: devoir (fr)
German: schulden (de), schuldig sein
Greek: χρωστάω (el) (chrostáo), χρωστώ (el) (chrostó)
Ido: debar (io)
Irish: bí ar (with subject and object reversed)
Italian: dovere (it)
Latin: debeo (la)
Occitan: dever

Persian: مدیون بودن‎‎ (fa) (madyun budan), بدهکار بودن‎‎ (bedehkâr budan)
Polish: być zobowiązany impf
Portuguese: dever (pt)
Romanian: datora (ro)
Russian: быть до́лжным impf (bytʹ dólžnym), быть обя́занным impf (bytʹ objázannym), быть в долгу́ impf (bytʹ v dolgú)
Slovene: dolgovati
Spanish: deber (es), adeudar (es)
Swedish: vara skyldig
Turkish: ^{(please verify)} Borçluluk, ^{(please verify)} müzayaka (tr)
Ukrainian: ви́нен m (výnen), ви́нна f (výnna), ви́нні m pl, f pl (výnni), бу́ти ви́нним impf (búty výnnym), му́сити impf (músyty), пови́нний (povýnnyj) (predicative)

to be in debt

Belarusian: завінава́ціцца pf (zavinavácicca), запазы́чыцца pf (zapazýčycca), быць ў даўгу́ impf (bycʹ ŭ daŭhú)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 欠 (zh) (qiàn), 欠債 (zh), 欠债 (zh) (qiànzhài)
Czech: dlužit
Dutch: schuldig zijn
Finnish: olla velkaa, olla veloissa
French: devoir (fr)
German: schulden (de), schuldig sein
Greek:
Ancient: ὀφείλω (opheílō)
Hungarian: tartozik (hu)
Irish: bí ar (with subject and object reversed)
Italian: dovere (it)
Japanese: 借りがある (かりがある, kari ga aru), 負う (ja) (おう, ou)
Korean: 빚지고 있다 (bitjigo itda)
Latin: debeo (la)

Malay: berhutang
Occitan: dever
Persian: بدهکار بودن‎‎ (bedehkâr budan)
Polish: mieć dług, być winnym, winić (pl)
Portuguese: dever (pt)
Romanian: datora (ro)
Russian: (predicative) до́лжен (ru) m (dólžen), должна́ f (dolžná), должны́ (ru) pl (dolžný), быть до́лжным impf (bytʹ dólžnym), быть в долгу́ impf (bytʹ v dolgú), задолжа́ть (ru) pf (zadolžátʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: дуго̀вати

Roman: dugòvati (sh)
Slovene: dolgovati
Spanish: estar en deuda, deber (es), adeudar (es)
Swedish: vara skyldig
Turkish: borçlu olmak

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

Arabic: ^{(please verify)} يَكُون مَدِينًا لَهُ‎‎ (yakūn madīnan lahu)
Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} дължа (bg) (dǎlža)
Czech: ^{(please verify)} dlužit
Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} tartozik (hu)
Ido: ^{(please verify)} debar (io)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} dovere (it), ^{(please verify)} essere debitore di

Korean: ^{(please verify)} 빚지다 (bitjida)
Latin: ^{(please verify)} dēbeō
Macedonian: ^{(please verify)} до́лжи (dólži)
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: ^{(please verify)} dugòvati (sh)
Swedish: ^{(please verify)} vara skyldig

AnagramsEdit

woe

AvavaEdit

NounEdit

owe

water

Middle EnglishEdit

PronounEdit