Meanings
- archaicrareSuretyship or the act of borrowing.
I couldn't bring myself to tell her I only had partial borrowship—that would defeat the purpose.
2021, Jeannine Henvey, Two Truths and a Guy1 more example
From some relative Cynthia managed to obtain on permanent borrowship a pair of binoculars, to lie in the stillness of night, binoculars pressed into the eyes, trying to count the stars, always talking in a whisper, the night sky a wondrous sight of beauty.
2013, Michael Cooke, Always Never, page 12Synonyms: borrowage
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSuretyship or the act of borrowing.
Origin
- Middle Englishborweschipe
- Englishborrowship
A calque of Middle English borweschipe, equivalent to borrow + -ship. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Buurchskup (“suretiship”), Dutch borgschap (“suretiship”), German Low German Börgskupp, Börgschop (“suretiship”), German Bürgschaft (“suretiship”)
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
borrowship. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/borrowship
“borrowship.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/borrowship. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “borrowship,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/borrowship.
Source: borrowship on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.