English
foreclose
Foreclose comes from Old French forclos, from Middle English forclusen ‘to close up’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kleh₂w-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kleh₂w-root as named
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forclȳsan‘to close up’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forclusen‘to close up’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400forclos
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foreclosen
- Englishearliest quotation 1609foreclose
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kleh₂w-root as named
- Old Englishc. 450–1150forclȳsan‘to close up’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forclusen‘to close up’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400forclos
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foreclosen
- Englishearliest quotation 1609foreclose
Earliest quotation: 1609, Richard Carew, The Survey of Cornwall: “The embargo with Spain foreclosed this trade.”
Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘before, formerly’
Proto-Germanic *fura- ‘before, in front of, for’
Proto-West Germanic *forē- ‘before, in front of, fore-, pre-’
English fore-
Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- ‘key, hook, nail’
…
Proto-West Germanic *klūsijan ‘to enclose’
Old English clȳsan ‘to close, shut’
Middle English clusen ‘to close’
Middle English closen ‘to close, enclose’
English close
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kleh₂w-
Today it means
verb To repossess a mortgaged property whose owner has failed to make the necessary payments; used with on.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kleh₂w- / foreclose