What does quittance mean?
A quittance is a formal acknowledgment that a debt has been paid or that an obligation has otherwise been discharged. Historically, it could refer both to the legal instrument acknowledging payment and to the act of release from a financial or legal commitment. The word is now largely confined to legal, historical, and formal contexts, where it suggests documentary proof of settlement rather than an everyday receipt. In older English, “quittance” could be used more broadly for freedom from an obligation, including release from blame or liability. Although an ordinary receipt may serve a similar practical purpose today, the term “quittance” retains a more formal and archaic tone and often implies a deliberate legal discharge. Its unusual spelling and long history make it especially useful when reading contracts, deeds, accounts, and historical records.
A formal acknowledgment that a payment has been made or that an obligation has been discharged.
"The receipt served as a quittance for the outstanding balance."
Chiefly legal, formal, and archaic in current usage.
The act or legal instrument of releasing a person from an obligation.
"The settlement was accepted as a complete quittance."
Less common than the sense of written acknowledgment, and chiefly historical or legal.
The plural is regular and appears especially in legal and historical writing.
"The archive contained several quittances signed by the original debtors."
Once a legal proof of payment, “quittance” now survives mainly in old documents and formal contracts.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quittance come from?
Quittance entered Middle English from Old French quittance, meaning a release or discharge. The French word was derived from Latin quietantia, a legal term associated with quietus, meaning quiet, free, or released. Its development reflects the original legal sense of settling or being released from an obligation, and cognates such as quiet, quiescent, acquiesce, and tranquil share the same Latin root.
How quittance is actually used
Chiefly legal, formal, and archaic in modern English. It is most common in historical documents, contracts, and discussions of financial settlements.
Easily confused with quittance
A quittance usually documents a payment or the discharge of a financial obligation, whereas an acquittance is a formal release from blame or liability.