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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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