Meaning & use

Indenture

noun·Advanced

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A formal legal agreement, contract, or deed, historically one binding a person to work for another for a set period.

See it in a sentence

The young apprentice signed an indenture that bound him to the blacksmith for seven years.

The bond's terms are laid out in a lengthy indenture filed with the trustee.

A note on using this word

Indentures once got their name from the jagged ('indented') edge cut across duplicate copies of a contract so the pieces could later be matched to prove authenticity.

Words with a similar meaning

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Another way to use it

2. verb

to bind someone by a formal contract, especially into service or apprenticeship

He was indentured to a printer at the age of fourteen.

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