loan

²loan

verb

Definition of LOAN

transitive verb

: lend

— loan·able \ˈlō-nə-bəl\ adjective

Usage Discussion of LOAN

The verb loan is one of the words English settlers brought to America and continued to use after it had died out in Britain. Its use was soon noticed by British visitors and somewhat later by the New England literati, who considered it a bit provincial. It was flatly declared wrong in 1870 by a popular commentator, who based his objection on etymology. A later scholar showed that the commentator was ignorant of Old English and thus unsound in his objection, but by then it was too late, as the condemnation had been picked up by many other commentators. Although a surprising number of critics still voice objections, loan is entirely standard as a verb. You should note that it is used only literally; lend is the verb used for figurative expressions, such as “lending a hand” or “lending enchantment.”

Examples of LOAN

1. The National Gallery has been kind enough to loan this painting to our museum.
2. His mother loaned him the money to buy a new car.
3. Can you loan me $20?

First Known Use of LOAN

13th century

Related to LOAN

Synonyms: advance, lend

Antonyms: borrow

Related Words: furnish, give, grant; lease, let [chiefly British], rent

Near Antonyms: receive, take

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Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer