Main Entry:

bor·row

Pronunciation:

\ˈbär-(ˌ)ō, ˈbȯr-\

Function:

verb

Etymology:

Middle English borwen, from Old English borgian; akin to Old English beorgan to preserve — more at bury

Date:

before 12th century

transitive verb1 a: to receive with the implied or expressed intention of returning the same or an equivalent <borrow a book> <borrowed a dollar> b: to borrow (money) with the intention of returning the same plus interest2 a: to appropriate for one's own use <borrow a metaphor> b: derive, adopt3: to take (one) from a digit of the minuend in arithmetical subtraction in order to add as 10 to the digit holding the next lower place4: to adopt into one language from another5dialect : lendintransitive verb: to borrow something

— bor·row·er \-ə-wər\ noun

— borrow trouble

: to do something unnecessarily that may result in adverse reaction or repercussions