loan 1
/lohn/ , n.
1. the act of lending; a grant of the temporary use of something: the loan of a book.
2. something lent or furnished on condition of being returned, esp. a sum of money lent at interest: a $1000 loan at 10 percent interest.
3. loanword.
4. on loan ,
a. borrowed for temporary use: How many books can I have on loan from the library at one time?
b. temporarily provided or released by one's regular employer, superior, or owner for use by another: Our best actor is on loan to another movie studio for two films.
v.t.
5. to make a loan of; lend: Will you loan me your umbrella?
6. to lend (money) at interest.
v.i.
7. to make a loan or loans; lend.
[ 1150-1200; ME lon ( e ), lan ( e ) (n.), OE lan lan; r. its cognate, OE laen loan, grant, c. D leen loan, G Leh(e)n fief; cf. LEND ]
Usage . Sometimes mistakenly identified as an Americanism, LOAN 1 as a verb meaning "to lend" has been used in English for nearly 800 years: Nearby villages loaned clothing and other supplies to the flood-ravaged town. The occasional objections to LOAN as a verb referring to things other than money, are comparatively recent. LOAN is standard in all contexts but is perhaps most common in financial ones: The government has loaned money to farmers to purchase seed.
loan 2
/lohn/ , n. Scot.
1. a country lane; secondary road.
2. an uncultivated plot of farmland, usually used for milking cows.
Also, loaning /loh"ning/ .
[ 1325-75; ME, OE lone LANE ]