Scrip

/skrɪp/ noun

Definition

A certificate or receipt; a document that promises payment or represents ownership; also informal for a prescription from a doctor.

Etymology

From Middle English and Old French, derived from Latin 'scriptum' meaning 'written thing.' Originally it meant any written document, but specialized over time to mean financial certificates or medical prescriptions.

Kelly Says

During the Great Depression and in company towns, workers were often paid in 'scrip'—certificates redeemable only at the company store, trapping them in cycles of debt, making this innocent-sounding word actually carry a dark economic history.

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