quiebra
bankruptcy
noun KYEH-brah Rare
Origin: from quebrar (to break), from Latin crepare (to crack, burst)
Also means
collapse
Usage Note
Quiebra is the legal and financial term for bankruptcy or insolvency (declararse en quiebra = to file for bankruptcy). It also conveys figurative collapse: la quiebra del sistema = the breakdown of the system. Note that bancarrota is a near-synonym but carries a stronger connotation of total ruin; quiebra is the standard legal term in most Spanish-speaking countries.
Examples
"La empresa se declaró en quiebra el año pasado."
Natural Translation
The company declared bankruptcy last year.

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