Noteholder

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device or accessory designed to hold or secure sheets of paper or musical notation for easy viewing and reference; a person or entity that possesses or holds a formal document such as a promissory note or financial instrument
2. An object used to support or keep notes, scores, or documents upright and accessible; an individual recognized as the owner or bearer of a negotiable note or certificate representing a debt or ownership
3. An apparatus intended for stabilizing and displaying written or printed materials typically used in music or study; a party legally entitled to the rights conferred by a written financial obligation or note

Etymology: The word is almost entirely transparent: "note" in the sense of a written promise to pay, plus "holder," one who holds something. A noteholder is therefore the person who owns such a promissory note, a document recording a debt owed to them. The compound follows the pattern of many financial terms built from a document name and an agent noun, such as "shareholder" and "bondholder," and its meaning comes straight from the parts. The "note" element is the older and more interesting half. It comes from Latin "nota," a mark or sign, which is also the source of "notation" and "notice," and the financial sense developed from the idea of a written record or memorandum. The "holder" element is Old English in origin, related to "hold" and the verb's older sense of possessing or keeping.

Synonyms: bondholder, debtholder, creditor, investor, lender