Main Entry: ar·rear

Pronunciation: \ə-ˈrir\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English arrere behind, backward, from Anglo-French arere, from Vulgar Latin *ad retro backward, from Latin ad to + retro backward, behind — more at at, retro-

Date: 1620

1 : the state of being behind in the discharge of obligations —usually used in plural <in arrears with the rent>
2 a : an unfinished duty —usually used in plural <arrears of work that have piled up> b : an unpaid and overdue debt —usually used in plural <paying off the arrears of the past several months>