Repayments

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Money given back to a lender to settle an owed sum
2. Amounts returned to repay borrowed funds or credit
3. Funds paid periodically to fulfill a financial obligation

Etymology: "Repayments" is the plural of "repayment," a noun for money handed back to a lender to clear a debt. The base word is "repay," formed from the prefix "re-" meaning "back" or "again" and "pay," so "repay" literally means to pay back or pay again. The suffix "-ment" turns a verb into a noun naming the act or result of that action, so "repayment" is the act of paying back, or the sum paid back. The word is therefore a straightforward compound of familiar English parts rather than a borrowing from another language. "Pay" itself came into English from Old French "payer," which in turn traces to Latin "pacare," meaning to pacify or appease, a sense that survives in the idea of settling a debt and calming a creditor. The plural form simply counts individual instalments: a loan repaid over several years produces several repayments.

Synonyms: reimbursements, refunds, recompenses, settlements, returns

Antonyms: debts, liabilities, obligations, dues, expenses