'debit' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'debere,' where 'de-' meant 'away' and 'habere' meant 'to have.'

'debere' transformed into the French word 'debit,' and eventually became the modern English word 'debit' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to owe or to have a debt,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'an entry recording an amount owed.'