Definition of "hypothecate" [hy•poth•e•cate]

• To pledge (property) as security or collateral for a debt without transfer of title or possession. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Yesterday's term was hypothecate, which is defined as:"
• "If Jason's daddy was a schlepper with no collateral to hypothecate this mortgage wouldn't get done today."
• "When the Senator is trapped in the coils of his own creation – did he hypothesize or hypothecate?"