Trade, money & lettersMyths & disputes

bankrupt

Italian banca rotta, 'broken bench', described a moneylender who had failed; English half-translated it, swapping in Latin ruptus 'broken'. The phrase followed Italian banking north to France, Germany, the Netherlands and Russia.

Weakest linkCertain

The story you may have heard

That creditors in Italian markets ritually smashed a failed banker's bench. The 'broken bench' etymology is sound, but the bench-breaking custom is thinly documented and the phrase may simply be figurative.

The road to English

From Italian to French

From Italian to German, Russian

From Italian to Dutch

From Italian to Spanish

From Italian to Portuguese

From Italian to Polish

From Italian to Swedish

1400Italian

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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