créditer

Créditer is a French verb meaning to credit. It is used in accounting, banking, and more generally to acknowledge or attribute something to someone. The term derives from the concept of entrusting or lending, and appears in various financial and administrative contexts.

In accounting, créditer refers to recording an entry on the credit side of an account as part of double-entry bookkeeping. Credits can increase liabilities, equity, or revenue, and decrease assets or expenses. A standard rule is that credits and debits balance within a transaction. For example, a sale on credit records a debit to accounts receivable (an asset) and a credit to sales revenue (income). Conversely, a decrease in an asset account is typically effected by a credit.

In banking and finance, créditer has a broader usage. To créditer a customer’s bank account means to add funds, such as a deposit, a transfer, or a payment processing that increases the account balance. Créditer can also refer to extending credit to a borrower, for instance by approving a line of credit or a loan facility.

Usage and nuance: créditer is transitive, taking a direct object (créditer un compte, créditer quelqu’un de quelque chose). In addition to financial meanings, the verb can mean to attribute or acknowledge a person’s role or achievement, as in créditer quelqu’un d’un mérite or d’un succès. The related noun crédit forms part of phrases like note de crédit (credit note) and crédit bancaire.