Indenture

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈdɛn.ʃɝ/

Definitions

1. A binding legal agreement that binds one party to service or labor for another over a specified period, often used historically for apprenticeships or the transportation of laborers
2. a formal written contract obligating someone to work for another for a fixed term in exchange for training, passage, or other consideration
3. a legal document creating a binding obligation where one party agrees to serve another for a specified duration, typically involving apprenticeship or labor arrangements

Etymology: The contract you sign for a job, or the one that binds an apprentice for years, takes its name from a cut. Medieval scribes wrote out two copies of an agreement on a single sheet, then wrote the word "chirographum" or a similar label across the gap between them. The sheet was cut along that line with a wavy or toothed edge, so that the two halves could later be fitted together. A jagged match between the halves proved that neither copy had been forged or altered. The Old French "endenteure" came from "endenter," meaning "to dent," which describes that toothed cut. Anglo-Norman brought the word into English, where the name of the cut passed to the document itself. The shape of the edge gave the agreement its name, and the physical proof of authenticity survives in the word that still describes a binding contract.

Synonyms: contract, agreement, bond

Antonyms: release, freedom