BANKRUPT

• PostEagle
• May 14, 2013
• Word Etymology
• 0 Comments

BANKRUPT is the word for today.  In medieval Italy moneychangers who became insolvent were forced to break their dealing bench. The bench was real and when it became RUPTA, it indicated failure, ruin, defeat or shipwreck.

Later Latin BANCUS means MONEYCHANGERS BENCH.  The Latin verb – RUMPO, RUMPERE, RUPI, RUPTUS – means TO BREAK. The moneychanger was no longer in business…having a broken bench.

The words: RUPTURE, ROMP, ERUPT, CORRUPT (cum – with, together + ruptus – break) come from the Latin verb – RUMPERE.