lien

¹

[lahy-uhn, -en]

noun

Anatomy.

1. the spleen.

lien

²

[leen, lee-uhn]

noun

1. Law.,  the legal claim of one person upon the property of another person to secure the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of an obligation.

lien

/ ˈliːən, liːn /

noun

1. law a right to retain possession of another's property pending discharge of a debt

lien

1. A claim or right given to a creditor to secure payment of a debt, usually by sale of the debtor's property.

Other Word Forms

• lienal adjective
• lienable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lien¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin liēn; spleen

Origin of lien²

First recorded in 1525–35; from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin ligāmen “tie, bandage,” from ligā(re) “to tie” + -men, noun suffix of result; ligament ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of lien¹

C16: via Old French from Latin ligāmen bond, from ligāre to bind

Example Sentences

Some 11 states prohibit or set limits on liens or foreclosures for medical debt.

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Terms requiring unanimous lender consent before any lien subordination jumped 23 percentage points in the third quarter and now appear in 84% of all credit deals.

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Litigation management company BrownGreer will be the settlement administration arm, responsible for making sure the checks go out, liens are settled and the judges have the records they need from the 11,000 plaintiffs.

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Millions of dollars in unpaid assessments that the IRS is attempting to collect via a tax lien against West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice.

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Owners could face liens if they don’t clear their properties, Bass said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times