Third-person singular present tense: to gradually pay off a debt over time in regular installments, or to gradually reduce the value of an asset on financial statements.
From 'amortize,' which comes from Old French 'amortir' (to deaden or kill), from Latin 'ad-' (to) and 'mors' (death). Ironically, this 'death' originally referred to making a debt 'dead' by fully paying it.
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