'debt-restrictive' originates from the combination of 'debt' and 'restrictive', where 'debt' refers to an obligation to pay money and 'restrictive' means limiting or controlling.

The term 'debt-restrictive' combines the concept of 'debt' from Old French 'dette' and 'restrictive' from Latin 'restrictivus', eventually forming the modern English term.

Initially, it meant 'limiting financial obligations', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.