amortize

verb

am·​or·​tize ˈa-mər-ˌtīz 

also ə-ˈmȯr-

amortized; amortizing

transitive verb

1

: to pay off (an obligation, such as a mortgage) gradually usually by periodic payments of principal and interest or by payments to a sinking fund

amortize a loan

2

: to gradually reduce or write off the cost or value of (something, such as an asset)

amortize goodwill

amortize machinery

amortizable

ˈa-mər-ˌtī-zə-bəl 

also ə-ˈmȯr-

adjective

Did you know?

When you amortize a loan, you figuratively “kill it off” by paying it down in installments, an idea reflected in the etymology of amortize. The word comes ultimately from a Latin word meaning “to kill” that was formed in part from the Latin noun mors, meaning “death”; it is related both to murder and a word naming a kind of loan that is usually amortized: mortgage. The original use of amortize dates to the 14th century, when amortizing was about transferring ownership of a property to a corporation, and especially to an ecclesiastical corporation—that is, a corporation consisting wholly of clergy. Such land was said to be in mortmain, which under the feudal system meant that the property was permanently exempt from a lord’s usual payment collections. Mortmain is of course another mors word. Its second syllable comes from Latin manus, meaning “hand,” the implication being that the property was held in the dead hand of a corporation—a hand incapable of paying out.

Examples of amortize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Replacing this theatrical revenue with amortized, indirect streaming favors the platform over the content creator, causing theatrical to lose the high-margin box office. —Joseph M. Singer, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026

Instead of spending a million dollars on a mold amortized across a million identical pieces, 3D printing makes parts on demand. —Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Even though Dallas’s new hotel construction amortizes travel costs, vacation prices have still increased since 2019. —Victoria Baeza Garcia, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026

With Thursday’s decision, that amount will now be amortized over a three-year period, which pencils out to an increase of about $5 on the monthly bill of an average SDG&E customer. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English amortisen to kill, alienate in mortmain, from Anglo-French amorteser, alteration of amortir, from Vulgar Latin *admortire to kill, from Latin ad- + mort-, mors death — more at murder

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for amortize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

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Legal Definition

amortize

transitive verb

amor·​tize ˈa-mər-ˌtīz, ə-ˈmȯr- 

amortized; amortizing

: to reduce (an amount) gradually: as

a

: to pay off (as a loan) gradually usually by periodic payments of principal and interest or payments to a sinking fund

b

: to gradually reduce the cost of (as an asset) especially for tax purposes by making periodic charges to income over a time span

amortize the machinery over five years

see also depreciation compare capitalize, deduct

amortizable adjective

amortization

ˌa-mər-tə-ˈzā-shən, ə-ˌmȯr- 

noun