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

'bankrupt' changed from the Italian phrase 'banca rotta' to the Old French word 'banqueroute', and eventually became the modern English word 'bankrupt' through Middle English.

Initially, it referred literally to a 'broken bench' (a moneylender's table broken as a sign of failure), but over time it evolved into the current meaning of 'unable to pay debts' or 'insolvent'.