Where does “credit mule” come from?

credit mule (English) comes from English credit, from Middle French crédit, from Latin crēditum, from Latin crēdō, from Proto-Italic krezdō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱréddʰh₁eti, from Proto-Indo-European -dʰh₁eti, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- — to do, put, place.

credit mule (English): A victim of fraud persuaded to use his own name...

Definitions

  1. A victim of fraud persuaded to use his own name...

Ancestry of “credit mule”, step by step

credit mule traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English credit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcreditTo believe; to put credence in; To add to an...
2Middle Frenchcréditbelief, trust
3Latincrēdituma loan
4Latincrēdōto believe, to trust in, to give credence to
5Proto-Italickrezdōto believe
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱréddʰh₁etito believe, trust
7Proto-Indo-European-dʰh₁etiForms resultative verbs
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-to do, put, place

via English mule

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmuleThe generally sterile male or female hybrid...
2Middle Frenchmuleslipper
3Medieval Latinmula
4Latinmulleusof a red color (said of shoes)
5Latin-eusargentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →...
6Ancient Greek-εῖοςForms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"...
7Proto-Indo-European-iHwós
8Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-Every word from Proto-Indo-European -dʰh₁etiEvery word from Proto-Indo-European ḱréddʰh₁eti
credit mule — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer