hypothecation
Americannoun
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the act of pledging movable property, stocks, income-generating contracts, etc., to a creditor as security without actual transfer of ownership.
The laws of Solon permitted hypothecation but forbade personal slavery for debt.
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British Government. the act or practice of designating a specific tax to pay for a specific expenditure.
Hypothecation is a dangerous route to go down; if property taxes are used to pay for infrastructure, does that mean those who don’t own property can’t walk on the sidewalks?
Etymology
Origin of hypothecation
First recorded in 1655–65; hypothec(ate) 1 ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )
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.
Even though that’s what would happen under the current system of hypothecation of tax revenues in the US.
From Forbes ● Jun. 10, 2014
Chancellor Gordon Brown was persuaded, against his instincts, to agree to "hypothecation" – earmarking certain taxes specifically for schools and hospitals.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 7, 2011
There are strong democratic, political and economic arguments for the hypothecation of tax to support causes that have both government and public approval.
From The Guardian ● May 18, 2010
Peculiar forms of assignments In certain cases we shall find a sort of hypothecation of property, as when it is assigned as security, but not given up.
From Babylonian and Assyrian Laws, Contracts and Letters by Johns, C. H. W. (Claude Hermann Walter)
I tried again, a little hypothecation of some bonds.
From Constance Dunlap by Reeve, Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin)
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.
