Etymologically
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bankruptcy

Etymology and origin of the English word bankruptcy

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1700

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbæŋ.kɹʌp(t).si/ (UK); /ˈbæŋkˌɹʌp(t).si/, /ˈbæŋk.ɹəp(t).si/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from bankrupt and -cy,[2][3] which the OED thinks was probably on the analogy of insolvency, with the t of bankrupt kept in the spelling instead of being merged in the suffix.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The state of being bankrupt, the breaking up of a business through inability to pay debts: 1700.[4][2][3]

Semantic evolution

Earlier words for it in the late 16th and 17th centuries were bankrupting, bankruption, bankrupture and bankruptship.[2] The figurative sense, utter loss of some good quality, is from 1761.[4][2] Bankruptcy Court and similar attributive uses are from 1864.[4]

Timeline

  • late 16th century – bankrupting, bankruption.[2]
  • 1700 – bankruptcy.[4]
  • 1761 – figurative use.[4]
  • 1864 – Bankruptcy Court.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The state of being bankrupt; insolvency.
  2. Complete loss or failure of some good quality: moral bankruptcy.

Word family

  • prebankruptcy

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Bankruptcy.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bankruptcy. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·