amortize

especially British, am·or·tise

[am-er-tahyz, uh-mawr-tahyz]

verb (used with object)

amortized, amortizing 

1. Finance.

   1. to liquidate or extinguish (a mortgage, debt, or other obligation), especially by periodic payments to the creditor or to a sinking fund.

   2. to write off a cost of (an asset) gradually.

2. Old English Law.,  to convey to a corporation or church group; alienate in mortmain.

amortize

/ əˈmɔːtaɪz /

verb

1. finance to liquidate (a debt, mortgage, etc) by instalment payments or by periodic transfers to a sinking fund

2. to write off (a wasting asset) by annual transfers to a sinking fund

3. property law (formerly) to transfer (lands, etc) in mortmain

Other Word Forms

• amortizable adjective
• nonamortizable adjective
• unamortized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of amortize¹

1375–1425; Middle English amortisen < Anglo-French, Old French amortiss-, long stem of amortir literally, to kill, die < Vulgar Latin *a ( d ) mortīre (derivative of Latin mors, stem mort- death, with ad- ad- ); -ize later replacing -is ( s )-, probably by association with Anglo-Latin a ( d ) mortizāre

Word History and Origins

Origin of amortize¹

C14: from Medieval Latin admortizāre, from Old French amortir to reduce to the point of death, ultimately from Latin ad to + mors death

Example Sentences

The aim is to reduce monthly payments by amortizing the loan over a longer period.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“When amortized across the generations this number becomes vanishingly small,” he wrote.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Chelsea has, in the past, used long contracts as an accounting mechanism to amortize huge transfer fees over seven or eight years in the interest of keeping squad costs low.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The costs have been amortized over decades and proved to be totally worth the effort.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Many factors go into the price of the ticket, from the costs of gas and crew salaries — which have risen since the pandemic — to bigger-picture economics amortized over the course of an entire tour.

Read more on New York Times