Owe
/oʊ/noun
To be under obligation to pay or repay something.
Did you know?English owe comes from an old Germanic root meaning “to own” or “possess,” which is why debt and obligation once felt like a moral claim on your very being.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃ep-
“To take, get, or possess (reconstructed root behind early Germanic ownership/possession words).”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*aiganą
“To possess; to own; to have as property.”
Old English
OE
āgan
“To possess, have, own; also to be under obligation to do something.”
Middle English
ME
owen / owen
“To owe, be bound to pay or render; also to possess.”
Modern English
English
owe
“To be obligated to pay or repay, or to be indebted in some way.”