Etymology From Middle English lone, lane, from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic *laihną, from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave (over)”). Cognate with Icelandic lán, Swedish lån, Danish lån, German Lehen (“fief”), Dutch leen (“fief”), West Frisian lien, North Frisian leen (“fief; loan; office”), Scots lane, lain, len, Old English lǣn. More at lend.
1
Banking, Business, Finance, Law An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
Because of the loan that John made to me, I was able to pay my tuition for the upcoming semester.
2
Banking, Business, Finance, Law A sum of money or other property that a natural or legal person borrows from another with the condition that it be returned or repaid over time or at a later date (sometimes with interest).
All loans from the library, whether books or audio material, must be returned within two weeks.
He got a loan of five thousand pounds.
1 more example
That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
3
The contract and array of legal or ethical obligations surrounding a loan.
He made a payment on his loan.
4
The permission to borrow any item.
Thank you for the loan of your lawn mower.
And while Thompson has yet to make a first-team appearance for Derby, he got experience playing for Braintree Town on loan in the National League earlier this season. Eustace also said that there would be no option to bring in an emergency loan cover for as long as O'Donnell remains fit.2026 March 13, “Eustace 'confident' in O'Donnell after Vickers blow”, in BBC, archived from the original on 21 Apr 2026:
Etymology From Middle English lone, lane, from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic *laihną, from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave (over)”). Cognate with Icelandic lán, Swedish lån, Danish lån, German Lehen (“fief”), Dutch leen (“fief”), West Frisian lien, North Frisian leen (“fief; loan; office”), Scots lane, lain, len, Old English lǣn. More at lend.
1
US, Informal, Usually To lend (something) to (someone).
Dated and occasionally proscribed in UK
In the course of a correspondence that passed between us at this period, he mentioned, to my utter astonishment, the fact of his having loaned Neilson 81000 to buy my bill on Maryland; and stated that he could not proceed to make the payment until Neilson refunded the money.1820 June 1, William King, Letters to James Monroe: President of the United States, from William King:
All the rest—six out of eleven, more than half—were loaned to him.1992, Carlo Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller, page 30:
1 more example
Upon maturity of the debt, the investment bank returns the loaned shares. On the date of issuance, the entity should record the loaned shares at their fair value and recognize them as an issuance cost, with an offset to additional paid-in capital.2015, Joanne M. Flood, Wiley GAAP 2015: Interpretation and Application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, page 574:
[...] The herds upon the loan, As if a sheep had fled, wi' speed, At Grumphy tykes hound on Wi' loud huzza!1800, Alexander Pennecuik, Lintoun Green; Or, the Third Market-day of June, 1685: A Poem, in Nine Cantos, page 38:
2 more examples
[...] meeting in the loan above the house his own great plough with the six oxen, which were the pride of his heart.1856 [1822?], Sir Walter Scott, Waverley Novels, page 315:
When the dews begin to fauld the flowers, and the gloaming shades draw on, When the star comes stealing through the sky, and the kye are in the loan, He whistles[…]1871, Henry Scott Riddell, The Poetical Works of Henry Scott Riddell, page 26: