mortgage

mort·gage  (môrgj)

n.

1. A temporary, conditional pledge of property to a creditor as security for performance of an obligation or repayment of a debt.

2. A contract or deed specifying the terms of a mortgage.

3. The claim of a mortgagee upon mortgaged property.

tr.v. mort·gaged, mort·gag·ing, mort·gag·es

1. To pledge or convey (property) by means of a mortgage.

2. To make subject to a claim or risk; pledge against a doubtful outcome: mortgaged their political careers by taking an unpopular stand.

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[Middle English morgage, from Old French : mort, dead (from Vulgar Latin *mortus, from Latin mortuus; see mer- in Indo-European roots) + gage, pledge (of Germanic origin).]

Word History: The great jurist Sir Edward Coke, who lived from 1552 to 1634, has explained why the term mortgage comes from the Old French words mort, "dead," and gage, "pledge." It seemed to him that it had to do with the doubtfulness of whether or not the mortgagor will pay the debt. If the mortgagor does not, then the land pledged to the mortgagee as security for the debt "is taken from him for ever, and so dead to him upon condition, &c. And if he doth pay the money, then the pledge is dead as to the [mortgagee]." This etymology, as understood by 17th-century attorneys, of the Old French term morgage, which we adopted, may well be correct. The term has been in English much longer than the 17th century, being first recorded in Middle English with the form morgage and the figurative sense "pledge" in a work written before 1393.

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mortgage

Noun

1. an agreement under which a person borrows money to buy property, esp. a house, and the lender can take possession of the property if the borrower fails to repay the money

2. a loan obtained under such an agreement: a mortgage of three times one's income

3. a regular repayment of money borrowed under such an agreement: the monthly mortgage on the building

Verb

[-gaging, -gaged]

to pledge a house or other property as security for the repayment of a loan

Adjective

of or relating to a mortgage: a mortgage payment [Old French, literally: dead pledge]

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mortgage

1. the giving of property, usually real property, as security to a creditor for payment of a debt.
2. the deed pledging the security.

See also: Finance, Property and Ownership

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	mortgage - a conditional conveyance of property as security for the repayment of a loan security interest - any interest in a property that secures the payment of an obligation first mortgage - a mortgage that has priority over all mortgages and liens except those imposed by law second mortgage - a mortgage that is subordinate to a first mortgage chattel mortgage - a loan to buy some personal item; the item (or chattel) is security for the loan
Verb	1.	mortgage - put up as security or collateral owe - be in debt; "She owes me $200"; "I still owe for the car"; "The thesis owes much to his adviser" bond - issue bonds on

Translations

mortgage [ˈmɔːgɪdʒ] n → hipoteca

vt → hipotecar;

to take out a mortgage → sacar una hipoteca

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mortgage [ˈmɔːgɪdʒ] n → hypothèque f (= loan); prêt m (or crédit m) hypothécaire

vt → hypothéquer;

to take out a mortgage → prendre une hypothèque, faire un emprunt

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mortgage [ˈmɔːgɪdʒ] n → Hypothek f

vt → mit einer Hypothek belasten;

to take out a mortgage → eine Hypothek aufnehmen

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mortgage [ˈmɔːgɪdʒ] n → ipoteca;

(in house buying) → mutuo ipotecario

vt → ipotecare;

to take out a mortgage → contrarre un mutuo (or un'ipoteca)