Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “foreclose” come from?

Foreclose comes from Middle English foreclosen, from Old French forclos and forclore, from Old French clore meaning "to close," from Latin claudere and claudo meaning "to shut or close."

foreclose (English): To repossess a mortgaged property whose owner has...

Definitions

  1. To repossess a mortgaged property whose owner has...

Ancestry of “foreclose”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishforeclosen—
2Old Frenchforclos—
3Old Frenchcloreto close; to enclose
4Latinclauderepresent active infinitive of claudō;...
5LatinclaudoI shut, close, lock; I imprison, confine; I...
6Proto-Italicklaudōclose

Words derived from “foreclose”

  • forclose
  • forecloser
  • foreclosable
  • foreclosee
Every word from Proto-Italic klaudō →