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>