IOU
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IOU
Where it comes from
From the pronunciation of "I owe you". Attested since at least 1618.
phrase
- 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 IOUs
- 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
Every language
noun informal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
| Español | reconocimiento de deuda, pagaré, abonaré |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 借用書 shakuyousho |
| Français | reconnaissance de dette |
| Deutsch | Schuldanerkenntnis, Schuldanerkennung |
| Italiano | riconoscimento di debito |
| Ελληνικά | υποσχετική yposchetikí |
| Русский | расписка raspiska |
Talk about this word "IOU." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/iou. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. IOU. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/iou "IOU." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/iou.
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@misc{iou_2026,
title = {IOU},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/iou},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
