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arrears

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ar⋅rear

  [uh-reer]
Use arrears in a Sentence
–noun
1. Usually, arrears. the state of being behind or late, esp. in the fulfillment of a duty, promise, obligation, or the like.
2. Often, arrears. something overdue in payment; a debt that remains unpaid.
Origin:
1300–50; n. use of arrear (adv., now obs.), ME arere behind < MF ≪ L ad retrō. See ad-, retro-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ar·rears   (ə-rîrz')   
pl.n.  

  1. An unpaid, overdue debt or an unfulfilled obligation.

  2. The state of being behind in fulfilling obligations: an account in arrears.


[Middle English arrers, from arrere, behind, from Old French arere, from Vulgar Latin *ad retrō, backward : Latin ad, to; see ad- + Latin retrō, behind; see re- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

arrears 
c.1315 (implied in arrearage), from O.Fr. ariere "behind, backward," from V.L. *ad retro, from L. ad "to" + retro "behind." Meaning "balance due" dates from 1432; phrase in arrears first recorded 1620, but in arrearages is from 1393.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ar·rear
Pronunciation: &-'rir
Function: noun
1 a : the condition of being behind in one's duties or esp. financial obligations —usually used in pl. arrears with the rent> b : the condition of being due at the end of a term rather than the beginning —usually used in pl. arrears>
2 : an unpaid and overdue debt —usually used in pl. arrears of the previous owners>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

arrears

see in arrears.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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