Here’s a spooky money fact for you: The word mortgage literally means “death pledge.”Yikes. But don’t worry—it’s not nearly as morbid as it sounds. Let’s break it down: So why the gloomy term? Back in medieval times, a mort-gage was a legal agreement that would “die” when the debt was paid off—or when the borrower…
ver feel nervous handing over your credit card, hoping it won’t get declined? Well, it turns out that when you use credit, you’re not just borrowing money, you’re borrowing trust. The word credit comes from the Latin credere, which literally means “to believe.” Why? Because when someone gives you credit, whether it’s a loan, a…
We all know what a budget is—something we swear we’ll stick to, especially after overspending on coffee and impulse buys.But have you ever thought about where the word budget even came from? Surprisingly, it all started with a bag. A small one. The word budget comes from the Old French bougette, which literally means “little…
Let’s say your local bank suddenly shuts down… and someone comes by and smashes their desk.That’d be weird, right? Well, back in medieval Italy, it wasn’t that weird at all. In those days, moneylenders worked on benches (called banca in Italian) in busy marketplaces. If a banker couldn’t pay their debts or went out of…
Have you ever wondered why your paycheck is called a salary? You might be surprised to learn that the word comes from something much more basic than stocks or direct deposits. It all goes back to salt — yes, the stuff on your dinner table. A Paycheck Made of Salt? In ancient Rome, salt was…
