1. a long-term security yielding a fixed rate of interest, issued by a company and secured against assets.
▪ an unsecured loan certificate issued by a company.
Word Originlate Middle English (denoting a voucher issued by a royal household, giving the right to claim payment for goods or services): from Latin debentur ‘are owing’ (from debere ‘owe’), used as the first word of a certificate recording a debt. The current sense dates from the mid 19th century.