LOAN

n. & v. --n. 1 something lent, esp. a sum of money to be returned normally with interest. 2 the act of lending or state of being lent. 3 funds acquired by the State, esp. from individuals, and regarded as a debt. 4 a word, custom, etc., adopted by one people from another. --v.tr. lend (esp. money). øloan shark colloq. a person who lends money at exorbitant rates of interest. loan-translation an expression adopted by one language from another in a more or less literally translated form. on loan acquired or given as a loan. øøloanable adj. loanee n. loaner n. [ME lan f. ON lÁn f. Gmc: cf. LEND]