Noah Webster
Owe
OWE, verb transitive o. [Gr., Eng. own.]
1. To be indebted; to be obliged or bound to pay. The merchants owe a large sum to foreigners.
A son owes help and honor to his father.
One was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
OWE no man any thing, but to love one another. Romans 13:8.
2. To be obliged to ascribe to; to be obliged for; as, that he may owe to me all his deliverance.
3. To possess; to have; to be the owner of. [This is the original sense, but now obsolete. In place of it, we use own, from the participle. See Own.]
Thou dost here usurp the name thou owest not.
4. To be due or owing.
O deem thy fall not ow'd to man's decree.
[This passive form is not now used.]
OWE, verb intransitive To be bound or obliged.