bankrupt
UK[ˈbæŋkrʌpt]US[ˈbæŋkrʌpt]
adj
(of a person or organization) declared in law as unable to pay their debts.
v
reduce (a person or organization) to bankruptcy.
n
a person judged by a court to be insolvent, whose property is taken and disposed of for the benefit of their creditors.
Morpheme Breakdown
bank
rupt
bank
bench, counter
rupt
broken
Etymology
the word 'bankrupt' has a vivid literal origin in renaissance italy. it fuses the italian 'banca' (the bench or counter used by moneychangers) with the latin 'rupta' (broken). the imagery is that of a moneylender's bench being physically broken when they could no longer conduct business, a public declaration of financial failure. this concrete act evolved into the modern legal and financial term describing an individual or entity whose financial state is 'broken' to the point of insolvency. the term entered english in the 16th century, preserving this powerful metaphor of broken commerce.
Analysis
Structure: bank (bench, counter) + rupt (broken)
'bank' originates from the italian 'banca' (bench, moneychanger's table), from a germanic source. 'rupt' is from the latin 'ruptus', the past participle of 'rumpere' (to break).
Examples
the severe losses forced the company to declare itself bankrupt.
the lawsuit threatened to bankrupt the small business owner.
the bankrupt was discharged from his remaining debts after the proceedings.