IOU

See also: iou and -ioù

English

Etymology

From the pronunciation of "I owe you". Attested since at least 1618.

Phrase

IOU

1. I owe you.

   Customarily, if you borrow $10 for lunch from a coworker, writing IOU $10 on a yellow sticky note acts as a legal promissory note that you will repay said amount on payday.

Noun

IOU (plural IOUs)

1. An informal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument.

   When David couldn’t afford to match the money in the poker pot, he added an IOU for the remaining amount instead.

Translations

informal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument

• Danish: skylderklæring c
• Dutch: schulderkenning f, schuldbekentenis (nl) f
• Finnish: velkakirja (fi)
• French: reconnaissance de dette (fr) f
• German: Schuldanerkenntnis (de) n, Schuldanerkennung f
• Greek: υποσχετική (el) f (yposchetikí)
• Hungarian: adósságelismervény, elismervény adósságról
• Italian: riconoscimento di debito m
• Japanese: 借用書 (shakuyousho)
• Latin: syngrapha f
• Plautdietsch: Schultbewiess m
• Polish: kwit dłużny m, skrypt dłużny m
• Romansch: renconuschientscha dal debit f
• Russian: расписка (ru) f (raspiska)
• Spanish: reconocimiento de deuda m
• Swedish: enkelt skuldebrev n
• Welsh: dylednod m

Anagrams

• oui, OUI