Authoritative answer
Exact answer
Mortgage came through Anglo-French mortgage, literally a dead pledge: mort, dead, plus gage, pledge.
Scope: Recorded English etymology and sense history; reviewed July 31, 2026.
Important boundary: The phrase describes the legal pledge, not a prediction that the borrower will die.
Evidence
Quick answer
Mortgage comes through Old French as a dead pledge. Learn the word origin, meaning history, and why the modern finance term sounds so dark.
Source-first
Reviewed Sep 2026
Origin story
From mort gage, literally dead pledge: the pledge died when the debt was paid or the property was taken.
Why it sticks
A cheerful modern word with a very medieval little shadow.
Shareable cardMortgage: A cheerful modern word with a very medieval little shadow.