Do you know the latin word for mortgage?
It means Death Grip! That's probably a secret you want to keep to yourself lol.
.. from medieval times when, if one fell on hard times, one solution was to seek to mortgage a property you already owned in order to get cash.
From Websters:
mort·gage Pronunciation: \ˈmȯr-gij\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English morgage, from Anglo-French mortgage, from mort dead (from Latin mortuus) + gage gage — more at murder Date: 15th century
From American Heritage Dictionary:
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English morgage, from Old French : mort, dead (from Vulgar Latin *mortus, from Latin mortuus, past participle of mor, to die + gage, pledge (of Germanic origin).
Pretty funny, death grip might not be something you'd want to mention to a real estate client.
Gerard Hagan - Edmonton Homes
Posted by: Gerard Hagan | December 22, 2008 at 05:36 PM
I can see where we would call a mortgage a death grip.
Posted by: myrtle beach | December 23, 2008 at 06:33 PM
Mortgage comes from mort meaning death in French (mortuus in Latin) + gage meaning promise in Old French.
I think it means that you promise to give the mortgage people your house, but when you've paid it all back, the promise dies.
Posted by: Myrtle Beach Real Estate | January 7, 2009 at 09:32 AM