debenture

noun

de·​ben·​ture di-ˈben-chər 

1

British : a corporate security other than an equity security : bond

2

: a bond backed by the general credit of the issuer rather than a specific lien on particular assets

Examples of debenture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The renegotiated debentures accrue interest at 10% per annum, may be converted into units of the Company and mature on December 31, 2025. —Kansas City Star, 2 July 2024

Key Developments On December 29, 2023, the Company announced the renegotiation of its convertible debentures with an original maturity date of December 31, 2023. —Kansas City Star, 2 July 2024

Our 100% contract renewal rate is one example of customer confidence in Cloud DX and comes just after the announcement of the early conversion of convertible debentures, followed by the escrow of 26 million shares, showing equally strong confidence from investors. —Sacramento Bee, 27 Mar. 2024

The skyrocketing stock price is the result of small investors taking advantage of a short squeeze margin-call algorithm to leverage the arbitrage and thus create a classic liquidity debenture. —Dave Barry, Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2021

Buying a debenture seat is obviously an attractive investment, particularly given the current volatility of global stock markets and extremely low interest rates? —Danielle Rossingh, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2021

Funds from today’s debenture sale will be used for long term financing of the company’s large construction and service expansion in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. —NOLA.com, 8 Dec. 2020

Impact on mutual fund industry: The debt funds of many asset management companies (AMCs) took a severe beating as many of them had an exposure to the bonds and non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of the bank. —Vatsal Bhandari, Quartz India, 16 Mar. 2020

In July, a key measure of the market’s wariness toward smaller Chinese banks (the yield gap between low- and top-rated non-convertible debentures) surged to as much as six times wider than before the Baoshang takeover. —Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle English debentur, from Latin, they are due, 3rd plural present passive of debēre to owe — more at debt

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

debenture

noun

de·​ben·​ture di-ˈben-chər 

: an unsecured bond that is backed by the issuer's general credit rather than a specific lien

called also debenture bond

see also indenture compare mortgage bond at bond

Note: Debentures are often convertible to stocks.

Etymology

Anglo-French debentour and Medieval Latin debentura, perhaps from Latin debentur they are owed