The Collaborative International Dictionary
Hypothecate \Hy*poth"e*cate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hypothecated; p. pr. & vb. n. Hypothecating.] [LL. hypothecatus, p. p. of hypothecare to pledge, fr. L. hypotheca pledge, security. See Hypotheca.] (Law) To subject, as property, to liability for a debt or engagement without delivery of possession or transfer of title; to pledge without delivery of possession; to mortgage, as ships, or other personal property; to make a contract by bottomry. See Hypothecation, Bottomry.
He had found the treasury empty and the pay of the navy
in arrear. He had no power to hypothecate any part of
the public revenue. Those who lent him money lent it on
no security but his bare word.
--Macaulay.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1680s, from hypothecat-, past participle stem of Medieval Latin hypothecare, from Late Latin hypotheca, from Greek hypotheke "a deposit, pledge, mortgage," from hypo- "down" + tithenai "to put, place" (see theme). Related: Hypothecated; hypothecating; hypothecation.
Wiktionary
vb. 1 (context transitive English) To pledge (something) as surety for a loan; to pawn, mortgage. 2 (context politics British English) To designate a new tax or tax increase for a specific expenditure
WordNet
v. pledge without delivery or title of possession
to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds; "Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps" [syn: speculate, theorize, theorise, conjecture, hypothesize, hypothesise, suppose]
Usage examples of "hypothecate".
She had arranged to hypothecate her half of the equity, to pay for the charter.
He only had to weigh in his mind one little thought before he knew how to proceed in order to be able to hypothecate his manly vigour.
You bought the rice on open credit, hypothecated the warehouse receipts with various banks, paid for half the rice with the proceeds and used the remainder of the loan to pyramid with.
To begin with, we had half a million bags of California rice stored in warehouses here and there, and you hypothecated the warehouse receipts and bought Philippine and Chinese rice.
December 12, 1840, he had thought some permanent provision ought to be made for the bonds to be hypothecated, but was satisfied taxation and revenue could not be connected with it now.
And the greatest Art is that which excites the greatest impersonal emotion in an hypothecated perfect human being.
The pertinence of this reference will also appear when attention is drawn to the fact that the tendency of the rate to criminality, hence, to moral worthlessness, is more largely hypothecated upon this than upon any other single crime.
If we cannot pay them in cash, Roguin will give the money at five per cent, hypothecated on my share of the property.
Lincoln went into the reasons which appeared to him to render this plan preferable to that of hypothecating the State bonds.
Nor can I imagine any means of defining what is the greatest Art, without hypothecating a perfect human being.
If any one of us wants money, Roguin will get it for him by hypothecating his share.
He had taken half a million in cash, stocks, and bonds, unregistered and hence easily hypothecated and traded on.
In 2BRO2B he hypothecated an America in which almost all of the work was done by machines, and the only people who could get work had three or more Ph.
My husband, Jasper Murdock, provided in his will that no part of his collection might be sold, loaned or hypothecated during my lifetime.
This can be prorated by week or by day, if you wish, and automatic limits placed on the amounts you can spend or hypothecate.