Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Arrear

Arrear ({not transcribed}) , adverb

[Old English arere, Old French arere, ariere, French arrière, from Latin ad + retro backward. See Rear.]

To or in the rear; behind; backwards. [Obsolete] — Spenser

Arrear , noun

That which is behind in payment, or which remains unpaid, though due; esp. a remainder, or balance which remains due when some part has been paid; arrearage; -- commonly used in the plural, as, arrears of rent, wages, or taxes. — Locke
For much I dread due payment by the Greeks Of yesterday's arrear. — Cowper
I have a large arrear of letters to write. — J. D. Forbes
Collocations (1)
In arrear or In arrears , behind; backward; behindhand; in debt.