1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Amortization

AMORTIZATION (derived through the French from Lat. ad, and mortem, to death), literally an extinction or doing to death, a word formerly used of alienating lands in mortmain, and now for the paying off of a debt, particularly by means of a regular sinking-fund; thus “amortization” and “amortization fund” generally refer to the latter method of extinguishing some pecuniary liability.