What does debit mean?
A debit is a fundamental concept in finance and accounting: an entry recording either a sum of money owed or a sum taken from an account. As a noun, it appears most familiarly in phrases like 'debit card' — a payment card drawing directly on the holder's bank funds — and 'direct debit', a standing arrangement for automatic payments. As a verb, 'to debit' means to charge an amount to an account, so a bank might debit your balance for a fee or a purchase. The word descends from Latin 'debitum', meaning 'something owed', the same root that gives us 'debt' and 'debtor'. In classical double-entry bookkeeping, every transaction has a debit and a credit side, making the term central to how businesses have tracked money for centuries. Though neutral in tone, debits are often noticed with mild alarm when they appear unexpectedly on a statement.
An entry in an account recording a sum owed or deducted; also, by extension, a card (a debit card) that draws payments directly from the holder's bank account.
"There was an unexplained debit of fifty pounds on her statement."
In double-entry accounting, debits appear on the left-hand side of a ledger.
To charge or record a sum of money against an account.
"The bank will debit the fee from your current account at the end of the month."
Standard plural, used chiefly in financial contexts such as statements and ledgers.
"The statement listed three separate debits totalling two hundred dollars."
Every time you tap your debit card, you're using a word that comes from the Latin phrase meaning 'he owes' — banking vocabulary straight out of ancient Rome.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of debit
Debit comes from the Latin 'debitum', meaning 'what is owed', the neuter past participle of 'debere' ('to owe'). The word entered English via medieval Latin accounting practice in the early modern period, when double-entry bookkeeping spread through European commerce. It shares its root with 'debt', 'debtor', and 'indebted', all tracing back to the same Latin verb.
Related word forms
How debit is actually used
Neutral, everyday register in both personal finance and professional accounting. In British English, 'direct debit' is the standard term for recurring automatic payments; US usage more often says 'automatic withdrawal'. In double-entry bookkeeping, whether a debit increases or decreases a balance depends on the type of account.
Easily confused with debit
A debit records money taken out of or owed on an account, while a credit records money added to it — the two are opposite sides of double-entry bookkeeping.