# indenture

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɪnˈdɛn.ʃɝ/ · frequency rank #43,205

## Definitions
1. A contract which binds a person to work for another, under specified conditions, for a specified time (often as an apprentice).
2. A contract relating to lending (typically for issuing a bond), a real estate transaction, or a bankruptcy that imposes additional conditions on one or both parties.
3. A document, written as duplicates separated by indentations, specifying either of the above contracts.
4. An indentation; a recess.

## Etymology
From Anglo-Norman endenture, from Old French endenteure, from endenter (“to dent”). The name of the contract derives from the irregular dent-shaped cut (indentation) used to prove the authenticity of the two parts, similar to a chirograph.

## Easily confused with
- **indentured** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/indenture-vs-indentured)

## Common misspellings (13)
`idnenture`, `inddenture`, `indennture`, `indentrue`, `indentture`, `indentuer`, `indenturre`, `indenutre`, `indetnure`, `indneture`, `inednture`, `inndenture`, `nidenture`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/indenture