owe English · revision 7590

16 Oct 2026, 14:06 by bogdan “en10k b0308: keen … cage” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 888|origins=ine-pro *h₂eyḱ-}}
+ 
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /oʊ/; /əʊ/ ''(UK)''^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is Middle English aghen, owen, [[inh|ang|āgan|t=to have, own]] (past tense āhte),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from Proto-Germanic *aiganan, to possess,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) source also of Old Norse eiga, Old High German eigan and Gothic aigan,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) from PIE [[ine-pro|*h₂eyḱ-|alt=*aik-|t=to be master of, possess]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) also the source of Sanskrit īśe, he owns.^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998) It was originally a preterite-present verb, like [[can]] and [[may]].^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ To have, own: about 888 in the OED, before 725 in Barnhart.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The sense to have to repay began in late Old English with the phrase ''agan to geldanne'', to own to yield, a translation of Latin [[m|la|debeo|alt=debere]];^(Etymonline) by the late 12th century it was shortened to agan,^(Etymonline) and [[own]] took over the original sense.^(Etymonline) To have as a duty is also 12th-century.^(Hoad 1986) To be in debt is from the mid-15th century.^(Etymonline) A new past tense, owed, arose in the 14th–15th centuries, and the old one, oughte, became the separate word [[ought]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline) ''Owing to'', attributable to, is from the 1650s,^(Etymonline) and the adverbial ''owing to'', because of, from the 19th century.^(Hoad 1986)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 888 – āgan, to have.^(OED 1989)
+ * late Old English – to have to repay.^(Etymonline)
+ * 12th century – to have as a duty.^(Hoad 1986)
+ * mid-15th century – to be in debt.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1650s – owing to.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Verb===
+ # To be under an obligation to pay or repay a sum of [[money]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # To be in [[debt]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # To have a moral obligation to give: ''to owe an apology''.^(AHD)
+ # To be indebted to for something: ''she owes her success to luck''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # ''(archaic)'' To own; to possess.^(AHD)
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[ought]]
+ * [[own]]
+ * [[owing]]
+ * [[owner]]
+ 
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}