Loan and Lend Are Not Interchangeable Everywhere
A loan is something lent. Whether loan works as a verb depends on which side of the Atlantic you are on.
A loan is something lent, especially money. Using *loan* as a verb is standard in American English but often resisted in British English, where *lend* is preferred. The American usage is not an innovation: *loan* was a verb in English from the 1200s, fell out of British use, and survived across the Atlantic — the older form is the one that sounds wrong to British ears. The word came from Old Norse *lan*, related to *lend* and to Latin *linquere*, to leave.
- Something lent. *A bank loan.*
- To lend (US). *Loan me a pen.*
- Lend — the British preference. *Lend.*
- Loanword — a borrowed word. *A loanword.*
- Old Norse — *lan*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | loan | A loan. |
| Plural | loans | Loans. |
| Verb | loan | Loaning. |
| Related | lend | To lend. |
| Compound | loanword | A loanword. |
- She repaid the loan.Money.
- Can you loan me a pen?American.
- It was a verb from the 1200s.History.
Older forms kept in America
- Loan as a verb — used in England until the 1700s
- Gotten — the older past participle of get
- Fall — for autumn
- Trash — an old English word for rubbish
- British English dropped all four at various points
Old Norse *lan*, a loan, related to English *lend* and to Latin *linquere*, to leave.
Is loan acceptable as a verb?
It is standard in American English and was used in England until the 1700s. British English now prefers lend.
What is a loanword?
A word taken from another language, such as ballet from French or kindergarten from German.