Where does “bankrupt” come from?
Bankrupt comes from Italian banca meaning "bench or money-lender's counter," from Old High German bank with the same sense, ultimately referring to the bench where medieval money-lenders conducted their business.
bankrupt (English): In a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay one's...
Definitions
- In a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay one's...
Ancestry of “bankrupt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | bancarotta | bankruptcy |
| 2 | Italian | rotta | feminine singular of rotto; rout, defeat; course,... |
| 3 | Italian | rompere | to break; to screw with, to be a pain in the ass |
| 4 | Latin | rumpō | to break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrunépti | to be breaking |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewp- | to break, tear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrew- | to tear out, dig out, open, acquire |