hypothec
Americannoun
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Roman and Civil Law. a mortgage or security held by a creditor on the property of a debtor without possession of it, created either by agreement or by operation of law.
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(in some modern legal systems) a security interest created in immovable property.
noun
Etymology
Origin of hypothec
1585–95; earlier hypotheca < Late Latin < Greek hypothḗkē deposit, pledge, mortgage (akin to hypotithénai to deposit as pledge). See hypo-, theca
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And at last, in the village of Ussel, saddle and all, the whole hypothec turned round and grovelled in the dust below the donkey’s belly.
From Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes by Stevenson, Robert Louis
Until the other day there prevailed in Scotland the almost insane law of hypothec, which allowed a landlord to pursue his tenant's goods even into the hands of an "innocent holder."
From Disturbed Ireland Being the Letters Written During the Winter of 1880-81. by Becker, Bernard H.
He is also in favour of the abolition of the laws of entail and hypothec.
From Western Worthies A Gallery of Biographical and Critical Sketches of West of Scotland Celebrities by Jeans, J. Stephen (James Stephen)
If the hale hypothec were to fa’, I think, laddie, I would dee!
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. XIX (of 25) The Ebb-Tide; Weir of Hermiston by Stevenson, Robert Louis
If the hale hypothec were to fa', I think, laddie, I would dee!
From Weir of Hermiston by Stevenson, Robert Louis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
