Feminine noun. From the Latin mora.
In Legal Spanish, mora refers to a delay in fulfilling an obligation—typically the failure to pay a liquid, overdue amount. The party responsible for the delay is referred to as moroso (masculine) or morosa (feminine).
You may also come across the term morosidad (also feminine), which refers more broadly to the state or condition of being in arrears. However, mora is generally preferred in legal and professional contexts due to its precision and conciseness.
📌 Example:
El año ha tenido aspectos alentadores, incluida la reducción de las cuotas en mora y el aumento del efectivo previsto disponible para el plan…
Translation: The year has had encouraging aspects, including the reduction in unpaid assessed contributions and the increase in projected cash available for the capital master plan.
A related and important legal expression is constituir en mora, which means to formally place someone in default. This typically happens when a creditor notifies the debtor—either judicially or extrajudicially—that they have failed to meet an obligation, and as a result, the legal consequences of the delay begin to apply. In many jurisdictions, this step is necessary to trigger interest accrual or enforcement actions.
📌 Example:
El acreedor puede constituir en mora al deudor mediante una intimación fehaciente.
Translation: The creditor may place the debtor in default through formal notice.
Closely related is the noun moratoria, which refers to a legal or administrative authorization allowing debtors to postpone payments—commonly seen in tax law or during periods of financial crisis.
And just to add a twist: outside of legal contexts, mora is also the Spanish word for blackberry. Proof that context is everything—especially in legal and business communication.
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