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loan
1[ lohn ]
/ loÊn /
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noun
the act of lending; a grant of the temporary use of something: the loan of a book.
something lent or furnished on condition of being returned, especially a sum of money lent at interest: a $1000 loan at 10 percent interest.
verb (used with object)
to make a loan of; lend: Will you loan me your umbrella?
to lend (money) at interest.
verb (used without object)
to make a loan or loans; lend.
QUIZ
SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?
Should you take this quiz on âshallâ versus âshouldâ? It should prove to be a quick challenge!
Question 1 of 6
Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?
Idioms about loan
- borrowed for temporary use: How many books can I have on loan from the library at one time?
- 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.
on loan,
Origin of loan
11150â1200; Middle English lon(e), lan(e) (noun), Old English lÄn<Old Norse lÄn; replacing its cognate, Old English lÇŁn loan, grant, cognate with Dutch leen loan, German Leh(e)n fief; cf. lend
usage note for loan
Sometimes mistakenly identified as an Americanism, loan1 as a verb meaning âto lendâ 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.
OTHER WORDS FROM loan
un·loaned, adjectiveWords nearby loan
loaf pan, loaf sugar, loaiasis, Loa loa, loam, loan, loanable, loanback, loanblend, loan collection, Loan Council
Other definitions for loan (2 of 2)
loan2
[ lohn ]
/ loÊn /
noun Scot.
a country lane; secondary road.
an uncultivated plot of farmland, usually used for milking cows.
Also loan·ing [loh-ning]. /ËloÊ nÉȘĆ/.
Origin of loan
21325â75; Middle English, Old English lonelane1
OTHER WORDS FROM loan
un·loan·ing, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use loan in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for loan (1 of 2)
loan1
/ (lÉÊn) /
noun
the act of lendingthe loan of a car
- property lent, esp money lent at interest for a period of time
- (as modifier)loan holder
the adoption by speakers of one language of a form current in another language
short for loan word
on loan
- lent out; borrowed
- (esp of personnel) transferred from a regular post to a temporary one elsewhere
verb
to lend (something, esp money)
Derived forms of loan
loanable, adjectiveloaner, nounWord Origin for loan
C13 loon, lan, from Old Norse lÄn; related to Old English lÇŁn loan; compare German Lehen fief, Lohn wages
British Dictionary definitions for loan (2 of 2)
loan2
loaning (ËlÉÊnÉȘĆ)
/ (lÉÊn) /
noun Scot and Northern English dialect
a lane
a place where cows are milked
Word Origin for loan
Old English lone, variant of lane 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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