'hypothec' originates from Late Latin 'hypotheca', ultimately from Greek 'hypothēkē' (ὑποθήκη), where the prefix 'hypo-' meant 'under' and the root 'tithenai' meant 'to place'.

'hypothēkē' passed into Late Latin as 'hypotheca', then into Old French (as 'hypotheque' or similar forms) and Anglo-Norman, and was borrowed into English as 'hypothec' (and related forms such as 'hypothecation').

Initially it referred generally to something placed or deposited (a pledge), but over time it evolved into a technical legal term for a security interest or charge on property.