• Word History: The great jurist Sir Edward Coke, who lived from 1552 to 1634, has explained why the term mortgage comes from the Old French words mort, “dead,” and gage, “pledge.” It seemed to him that it had to do with the doubtfulness of • All things Mortgages & mortgage news. Find and compare mortgages. Use our free mortgage calculators or find out how much homes are worth in your area.