insure

Meaning

Verb

• To provide for compensation if some specified risk occurs. Often agreed by policy (contract) to offer financial compensation in case of an accident, theft or other undesirable event.
• To deal in such contracts; subscribe to a policy of insurance
• Alternate spelling of ensure; to make sure or certain of; guarantee.

Origin

• Recorded since about 1440, as a variant of Middle English ensuren (from Anglo-Norman enseurer, itself from en- + seür, probably influenced by ); took on its particular sense of "make safe against loss by payment of premiums" in 1635, replacing assure.