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lien
1[ leen, lee-uhn ]
/ lin, ˈli ən /
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noun
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.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of lien
11525–35; <Anglo-French, Old French <Latin ligāmen tie, bandage, equivalent to ligā(re) to tie + -men noun suffix of result
OTHER WORDS FROM lien
lien·a·ble, adjectiveWords nearby lien
Lie group, lie-in, lie in state, lie in wait, lie low, lien, lienal, lienectomy, lienholder, lienitis, lientery
Other definitions for lien (2 of 2)
lien2
[ lahy-uhn, -en ]
/ ˈlaɪ ən, -ɛn /
noun Anatomy.
the spleen.
Origin of lien
21645–55; <Latin liēnspleen
OTHER WORDS FROM lien
li·e·nal [lahy-een-l, lahy-uh-nl], /laɪˈin l, ˈlaɪ ə nl/, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lien in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for lien
lien
/ (ˈliːən, liːn) /
noun
law a right to retain possession of another's property pending discharge of a debt
Word Origin for lien
C16: via Old French from Latin ligāmen bond, from ligāre to bind
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for lien
lien
[ (leen, lee-uhn) ]
A claim or right given to a creditor to secure payment of a debt, usually by sale of the debtor's property.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.