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One thing I hate about finance is how every little trick is named by borrowing the name from an existing concept in mathematics which only barely relates to the financial trickery.

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That Wikipedia page says the practice originated before 1400, so it could be that mathematics stole the word from finance.

Are you saying Mathematicians did not know how to factor before 1400? hmmm ;)

No, but I bet they used a different word.

A factor, from the Latin "he who does" (from Latin facit, to do, parallel to agent, from Latin agens), is a person who professionally acts as the representative of another individual -- also from Wikipaedia.

Looks like it was (English-speaking) mathematicians that borrowed the term.

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