Where does “mortgage” come from?
mortgage (Middle French) comes from Anglo-Norman morgage, from Old French mort, from Vulgar Latin mortus, from Latin mortuus, from Proto-Italic mortwos, from Proto-Indo-European mr̥twós, from Proto-Indo-European mer- — to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland.
Ancestry of “mortgage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | morgage | mortgage |
| 2 | Old French | mort | past participle of morir; dead; death |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | mortus | — |
| 4 | Latin | mortuus | dead, having died; decayed, withered; faint,... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | mortwos | dead |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mr̥twós | dead |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |