A
debt generally refers to something owed by one party, the borrower or
debtor, to a second party, the lender or
creditor. The lender or creditor can be a
bank,
credit card company,
payday loan provider, or an individual. One country can also lend money to another country. Debt is generally subject to
contractual terms regarding the amount and timing of repayments of
principal and
interest. The term can also be used
metaphorically to cover
moral obligations and other interactions not based on
economic value. For example, in Western cultures, a person who has been helped by a second person is sometimes said to owe a "debt of gratitude" to the second person.