loan

¹

[ lohn ]

noun

1. the act of lending; a grant of the temporary use of something:

   the loan of a book.

2. something lent or furnished on condition of being returned, especially a sum of money lent at interest:

   a $1000 loan at 10 percent interest.

3. loanword ( def ).

verb (used with object)

1. to make a loan of; lend:

   Will you loan me your umbrella?

2. to lend (money) at interest.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a loan or loans; lend.

loan

²

[ lohn ]

noun

, Scot.

1. a country lane; secondary road.
2. an uncultivated plot of farmland, usually used for milking cows.

loan

¹

/ ləʊn; ˈləʊnɪŋ /

noun

1. a lane
2. a place where cows are milked

loan

²

/ ləʊn /

noun

1. the act of lending

   the loan of a car

2. 1. property lent, esp money lent at interest for a period of time
   2. ( as modifier )

      loan holder

3. the adoption by speakers of one language of a form current in another language
4. short for loan word
5. on loan
   1. lent out; borrowed
   2. (esp of personnel) transferred from a regular post to a temporary one elsewhere

verb

1. to lend (something, esp money)

Usage Note

Sometimes mistakenly identified as an Americanism, loan1 as a verb meaning “to lend” has been used in English for nearly 800 years: Nearby villages loaned clothing and other supplies to the flood-ravaged town. The occasional objections to loan as a verb referring to things other than money, are comparatively recent. Loan is standard in all contexts but is perhaps most common in financial ones: The government has loaned money to farmers to purchase seed.

Derived Forms

• ˈloaner, noun
• ˈloanable, adjective

Other Words From

• un·loaned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of loan¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English noun lon(e), lan(e), Old English lān, from Old Norse lān; replacing its cognate, Old English lǣn “loan, grant,” cognate with Dutch leen “loan,” German Leh(e)n “fief”; lend

Origin of loan²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lane, lone, Old English lane, lane ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of loan¹

Old English lone, variant of lane ¹

Origin of loan²

C13 loon, lan, from Old Norse lān; related to Old English lǣn loan; compare German Lehen fief, Lohn wages

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on loan,
   1. borrowed for temporary use:

      How many books can I have on loan from the library at one time?

   2. temporarily provided or released by one's regular employer, superior, or owner for use by another:

      Our best actor is on loan to another movie studio for two films.

Example Sentences

Defender Lewis, who is on loan at Sao Paulo from Newcastle, has an ankle injury whilst Rangers winger McCausland has been nursing a foot problem.

From BBC

The Southampton midfielder, who is on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, made his debut two years ago against Greece under former manager Ian Baraclough.

From BBC

Trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation, which owns the works, are to donate 1,700 pieces following a 15-year loan to the London museum.

From BBC

The works have been on loan to the museum since 2009 and on show in the specially designed bilingual Room 95.

From BBC

Trump and some other legal minds in his orbit have suggested Trump should go after those prosecutors who have targeted him and his companies — including Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has pursued criminal cases against Trump for his incitement of the Jan. 6 insurrection and his hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort; and Letitia “Tish” James, the New York attorney general who won a massive fraud judgment against Trump for inflating his net worth to win preferable insurance and loan terms.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lend
• provide