bankrupt

Where does the word "bankrupt" come from? It comes from Italian banca rotta, passing through French before entering English (1500s-1600s).

Bankrupt’s story begins in Italian: banca rotta meant “broken bench.” Literally "broken bench", said to describe a failed moneylender's stall being smashed. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as banqueroute. Adopted for financial failure. It reached English by 1500s-1600s as bankrupt. Reshaped by association with "bank" and Latin "ruptus" (broken). Today, bankrupt means legally declared unable to pay outstanding debts.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · medieval banca rotta "broken bench", literally "broken bench", said to describe a failed moneylender's stall being smashed.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1500s banqueroute "financial failure", adopted for financial failure.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s-1600s bankrupt "unable to pay one's debts", reshaped by association with "bank" and Latin "ruptus" (broken).