Investors or creditors who own bonds (certificates of debt); people who have lent money to a government or company and hold the written proof of that loan.
From 'bond' (a financial instrument) plus 'holder' (possessor). The financial meaning of bond developed in the 17th century with modern banking systems, and bondholder followed as commercial paper became standardized.
Bondholders are paradoxically conservative and powerful—they need the organization to survive (so they want stability) yet they can tank companies by losing confidence, making them invisible but crucial economic actors shaping policy.
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