Debenture

Debenture
Debenture De*ben"ture (?; 135), n. [L. debentur they are due, fr. debere to owe; cf. F. debentur. So called because these receipts began with the words Debentur mihi.] 1. A writing acknowledging a debt; a writing or certificate signed by a public officer, as evidence of a debt due to some person; the sum thus due. [1913 Webster]

2. A customhouse certificate entitling an exporter of imported goods to a drawback of duties paid on their importation. --Burrill. [1913 Webster]

Note: It is applied in England to deeds of mortgage given by railway companies for borrowed money; also to municipal and other bonds and securities for money loaned. [1913 Webster]

3. Any of various instruments issued, esp. by corporations, as evidences of debt. Such instruments (often called

{debenture bonds}) are generally, through not necessarily, under seal, and are usually secured by a mortgage or other charge upon property; they may be registered or unregistered. A debenture secured by a mortgage on specific property is called a

{mortgage debenture}; one secured by a floating charge (which see), a

{floating debenture}; one not secured by any charge

{a naked debenture}. In general the term debenture in British usage designates any security issued by companies other than their shares, including, therefore, what are in the United States commonly called {bonds}. When used in the United States debenture generally designates an instrument secured by a floating charge junior to other charges secured by fixed mortgages, or, specif., one of a series of securities secured by a group of securities held in trust for the benefit of the debenture holders. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • debenture — de·ben·ture /di ben chər/ n [Anglo French debentour and Medieval Latin debentura, perhaps from Latin debentur they are owed]: an unsecured bond that is backed by the issuer s general credit rather than a specific lien – called also debenture… …   Law dictionary

  • Debenture — Débenture Une débenture est un instrument financier qui a les mêmes caractéristiques qu une obligation, toutefois la débenture n offre aucun bien en garantie. Par conséquent, elle offre moins de couverture pour l acheteur du titre en cas de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • debênture — s. f. [Brasil] [Economia] Obrigação ao portador. = DEBENTURA   ‣ Etimologia: inglês debenture …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • debenture — Security instrument evidencing a debt due from one party to another, payable on demand or otherwise, which can be a fixed and/or floating charge on assets and which can grant the lender broad powers to recover the amount due upon default,… …   Glossary of Bankruptcy

  • debenture — (n.) written acknowledgment of a debt, early 15c., from L. debentur there are due (said to have been the first word in formal certificates of indebtedness), passive present third person plural of debere to owe (see DEBT (Cf. debt)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • debenture — [n] certificate of debt bond, I.O.U., promise to pay, voucher; concepts 318,684 …   New thesaurus

  • debenture — ► NOUN Brit. ▪ a bond of a company acknowledging a debt and yielding a fixed rate of interest. ORIGIN Latin debentur are owing (used as the first word of a certificate recording a debt), from debere owe …   English terms dictionary

  • debenture — [di ben′chər] n. [ME debentur < ML < L, 3d pers. pl., pres. pass. indic., of debere: see DEBT: so called from receipts beginning with the Latin words debentur mihi, there are owing to me] 1. a voucher or certificate acknowledging that a… …   English World dictionary

  • debenture — a fixed interest investment in a company, which has priority for interest payments, generally redeemable after the lapse of a specified time Any debt obligation backed strictly by the borrower s integrity, e.g. an un secured bond. A debenture is… …   Financial and business terms

  • debenture — /dabentyar/ Long term unsecured debt instrument, issued pursuant to an indenture. A promissory note or bond backed by the general credit and earning history of a corporation and usually not secured by a mortgage or lien on any specific property;… …   Black's law dictionary

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