'bankrupt' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'banca rotta', where 'banca' meant 'bench' and 'rotta' meant 'broken'.

'banca rotta' transformed into the French word 'banque route', and eventually became the modern English word 'bankrupt' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'broken bench', referring to a moneylender's bench being broken when they failed, but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'financially ruined'.