Bankrupts

/ˈbæŋkrəpts/ noun, verb

Definition

Either plural noun for people declared insolvent, or verb meaning to reduce someone to bankruptcy (third person singular present).

Etymology

From 'bankrupt': noun plural form (people who are bankrupt) or present tense verb (he/she/it bankrupts), from Italian 'banca rotta' through Old French into English by the 1500s.

Kelly Says

Historically, being declared a bankrupt was so shameful in medieval and Renaissance Europe that people would hide from public view—bankrupts lost social status along with their money!

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