Main Entry:

¹bank·rupt

Pronunciation:

\ˈbaŋk-(ˌ)rəpt\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

modification of Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French banqueroute bankruptcy, from Old Italian bancarotta, from banca bank + rotta broken, from Latin rupta, feminine of ruptus, past participle of rumpere to break — more at bank, reave

Date:

1533

1 a: a person who has done any of the acts that by law entitle creditors to have his or her estate administered for their benefit b: a person judicially declared subject to having his or her estate administered under the bankrupt laws for the benefit of creditors c: a person who becomes insolvent2: a person who is completely lacking in a particular desirable quality or attribute <a moral bankrupt>