hypothéquer

Senses

1. 1.

   to mortgage

   to pledge property as security for a loan

2. 2.

   to jeopardize, compromise

   to put at risk or undermine (figuratively)

Examples

• "Il a hypothéqué sa maison pour financer son entreprise."

  He mortgaged his house to finance his business.

• "Cette décision pourrait hypothéquer son avenir politique."

  This decision could jeopardize his political future.

• "Les scandales ont hypothéqué la réputation de l'organisation."

  The scandals compromised the organization's reputation.

Usage

A formal, somewhat legalistic verb used both in legal/financial contexts (literal mortgage) and in figurative speech to mean 'undermine' or 'compromise'. The figurative sense is common in journalism and political discourse.