escrow
[ noun es-kroh, ih-skroh; verb ih-skroh, es-kroh ]
/ noun ˈɛs kroʊ, ɪˈskroʊ; verb ɪˈskroʊ, ˈɛs kroʊ /
noun
a contract, deed, bond, or other written agreement deposited with a third person, by whom it is to be delivered to the grantee or promisee on the fulfillment of some condition.
verb (used with object)
to place in escrow: The home seller agrees to escrow the sum of $1000 with his attorney.
Nearby words
escort, escort carrier, escort fighter, escribe, escritoire, escrow, escuage, escudero, escudo, escuintla, esculapian
Idioms
in escrow, in the keeping of a third person for delivery to a given party upon the fulfillment of some condition.
Origin of escrow
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for escrow
British Dictionary definitions for escrow
escrow
/ (ˈɛskrəʊ, ɛˈskrəʊ) law /
noun
money, goods, or a written document, such as a contract bond, delivered to a third party and held by him pending fulfilment of some condition
the state or condition of being an escrow (esp in the phrase in escrow)
verb (tr)
to place (money, a document, etc) in escrow
Word Origin for escrow
C16: from Old French escroe, of Germanic origin; see screed, shred, scroll
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for escrow
escrow
1590s, from Anglo-French escrowe, from Old French escroue "scrap, roll of parchment," from a Germanic source akin to Old High German scrot "a scrap, shred, a piece cut off" (see shred (n.)). Originally "a deed delivered to a third person until a future condition is satisfied;" sense of "deposit held in trust or security" is from 1888.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for escrow
escrow
[ (es-kroh) ]
The condition of being ineffective until certain conditions are met. For example, money inherited by a minor might be held in escrow until the heir reaches a certain age. Homeowners with mortgages frequently pay money for insurance and taxes on their home into an escrow account each month. The holder of the mortgage then pays the insurance and tax bills out of the escrow account when the bills are due.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.