mortgage
mortgage Lexical Profile
mortgage Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A legal agreement by which a bank or other creditor lends money at interest in exchange for taking title of the debtor's property, with the condition that the conveyance of title becomes void upon the payment of the debt.
"After saving for a down payment, the couple finally secured a mortgage to buy their first home."
The specific amount of money borrowed under a mortgage agreement, or the document detailing this arrangement.
"She pays her mortgage on the first of every month to avoid any late fees."
• verb
To convey a property to a creditor as security on a loan.
"To finance the expansion of his manufacturing business, he was forced to mortgage his family estate."
To expose to a future risk or constraint for the sake of an immediate advantage.
"Critics argued that the administration was mortgaging the country's economic future by accumulating massive national debt."
• Rhymes for mortgage
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old French 'mort gage' (literally 'dead pledge'), derived from 'mort' (dead) and 'gage' (pledge). The term reflects the historical condition that the pledge dies (becomes void) either when the debt is paid or when payment fails.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.