| [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] dette, debte, from Anglo-French dette something owed, from Vulgar [[Latin]] *debita, from Latin, plural of debitum debt, from neuter of debitus, past participle of debēre to owe, from de- + habēre to have. The letter b in the word debt was reintroduced in the 17th century, possibly by [[Samuel Johnson]] in his Dictionary of 1755— several other [[words]] that had [[existed]] without a b had them reinserted at around that [[time]]. | | [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] dette, debte, from Anglo-French dette something owed, from Vulgar [[Latin]] *debita, from Latin, plural of debitum debt, from neuter of debitus, past participle of debēre to owe, from de- + habēre to have. The letter b in the word debt was reintroduced in the 17th century, possibly by [[Samuel Johnson]] in his Dictionary of 1755— several other [[words]] that had [[existed]] without a b had them reinserted at around that [[time]]. |