creditor
n. countablen. a person, bank, or company that you owe money to. If you take out a loan, the bank becomes your creditor until you pay it back.
n. an entity to whom a debt is owed. Often used in legal and financial contexts to identify the party with a claim on the assets of a debtor.
The company owes a lot of money to its main creditor.
After the business failed, the owner met with every creditor to discuss a repayment plan.
The court-appointed liquidator must ensure that all remaining assets are distributed fairly among the secured creditors before any funds reach the shareholders.
From Middle English creditour, from Anglo-Norman creditour, from Latin crēditor, from crēditum (“loan”), from crēditus, perfect passive participle of crēdō (“lend”).
Frequently paired with the adjectives 'secured' or 'unsecured' to indicate the legal priority of the debt.