IOU

phrase, noun — 2 senses

IOU

phrase

Etymology From the pronunciation of "I owe you". Attested since at least 1618.

1

I owe you.

Customarily, if you borrow $10 for lunch from a coworker, writing IOU $10 on a yellow sticky note acts as a legal promissory note that you will repay said amount on payday.

IOU

noun

Etymology From the pronunciation of "I owe you". Attested since at least 1618.

1

An informal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument.

When David couldn’t afford to match the money in the poker pot, he added an IOU for the remaining amount instead.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.