owe
Contents
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
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.
- 1854, Charles Dickens, Hard Times, Chapter 7:
- (intransitive) To have debt; to be in debt.
- 1596-99, Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act I, scene i:
- [...] To you, Antonio,
- I owe the most, in money and in love;
- And from your love I have a warranty
- To unburden all my plots and purposes
- How to get clear of all the debts I owe.
- 1596-99, Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act I, scene i:
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
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to be in debt
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- 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
AnagramsEdit
AvavaEdit
NounEdit
owe
Further readingEdit
- Terry Crowley et al, The Avava Language of Central Malakula (Vanuatu) (2006)
Middle EnglishEdit
PronounEdit
owe
- Alternative form of yow
ReferencesEdit
- “you, (pron.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 18 May 2018.