Meaning

verb be obliged to pay or repay

verb be indebted to, in an abstract or intellectual sense

verb be in debt

originFrom Middle English owen, from Old English āgan, from Proto-West Germanic *aigan (“to own”), from Proto-Germanic *aiganą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₂óyḱe (“to possess, own”), reduplicated stative of *h₂eyḱ- (“to own”). See also own, ought. Cognate with Sanskrit ईष्टे (īṣṭe, “to own, possess”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0