arrears
noun
[ əˈrɪəz ]
• money that is owed and should have been paid earlier.
• "he was suing the lessee for the arrears of rent"
Origin:
Middle English (first used in the phrase in arrear ): from arrear (adverb) ‘behind, overdue’, from Old French arere, from medieval Latin adretro, from ad- ‘towards’ + retro ‘backwards’.
in arrears
• behind with paying money that is owed.
• "two out of three tenants are in arrears"
Opposite:
in credit,
• (of a competitor in a sports race or match) having a lower score or weaker performance than other competitors.
• "she finished ten metres in arrears"
