Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “insolvency” come from?

Insolvency comes from English insolvent, from Latin insolvent- (unable to pay), composed of Latin in- (not) and solvency, from Latin solvent- (able to pay), from Latin solvere (to loosen, pay), traced to Proto-Indo-European oyd-.

insolvency (English): The condition of being insolvent; the state or...

Definitions

  1. The condition of being insolvent; the state or...

Ancestry of “insolvency”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishinsolventUnable to pay one's bills as they fall due; Owing...
2EnglishsolventA liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or...
3Frenchsolventthird-person plural present indicative of soudre;...
4Latinsolventemaccusative masculine singular of solvēns;...
5LatinsolvoI loosen, untie, undo; free , release, acquit,...
6Latinsē-—
7Latinsexsix; 6
8Proto-Italicsekssix
9Proto-Indo-Europeanswéḱssix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swéḱs →