Etymologically
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lend

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Pronunciation

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English lenden, an alteration of earlier lenen,[2][3][4] inherited from Old English lǣnan (“to lend, grant temporarily”),[2][5][4][3] from lǣn (“loan, gift”) (see loan),[2][5][4] from Proto-Germanic *laihwnjan.[5] The final d came from the past tense lende, after verbs such as send and bend.[2][4][3][6][5] It is related to Dutch lenen and Old High German lēhanōn (modern German lehnen).[5][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old English lǣnan, before 725;[2] Middle English lenen probably before 1200, in Layamon, and lenden about 1375.[2]

Semantic evolution

The Old English verb already meant to lend money at interest.[5] Granting temporary possession in general is from the late 14th century, and to lend an ear, to listen, from the same time.[5] The noun, a loan, is from the 1570s and is Scottish and northern.[5][7] To impart a quality, as in her presence lent wisdom, is a later extension.[8][9]

Timeline

  • before 725 – lǣnan.[2]
  • probably before 1200 – lenen.[2]
  • c. 1375 – lenden.[2]
  • late 14th century – to lend an ear.[5]
  • 1570s – a lend, a loan.[5]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To let someone use something for a time, on condition that it or its equivalent is returned.
  2. To provide money temporarily, usually at interest.
  3. To make loans, especially as a business.
  4. To contribute or impart a quality: her presence lent wisdom.
  5. To give help or support: he lent his skill.

Word family

  • lender
  • lendable
  • lend-lease
  • interlend
  • overlend
  • relend

Usage notes

Two obsolete words are spelled lend: the loins, from Old English (about 975), and a verb meaning to arrive or to dwell.[7] The loins sense survived in Scots.[10]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  10. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)