Meanings
lend1
present singular third person lends · participle present lending · participle past lent · past lent · nonstandard participle past lended · nonstandard past lended
- transitiveTo allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
Where is that hundred euros I lent you months ago?
2 more examples
I will only lend you my car if you fill up the tank.
Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.
2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 71 - intransitiveTo make a loan.
- reflexiveTo be suitable or applicable, to fit.
Poems do not lend themselves to translation easily.
1 more example
The long history of the past does not lend itself to a simple black and white interpretation.
- To afford; to grant or furnish in general.
Can you lend me some assistance?
5 more examples
The famous director lent his name to the new film.
The old silver lends an air of elegance to an otherwise drab room.
The evidence lends credence to the witness's testimony.
The subtle use of strings lends fluidity to the composition.
[…] Cato, lend me for a vvhile thy Patience, / And condeſcend to hear a young Man ſpeak.
1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act II, scene i, page 23 - proscribedTo borrow.
- dialectalwith definite articleLoan (permission to borrow (something)).
Yesterday asked Mr. Aray the lend of 8s. 6d. for a month.
1866, Walkden, Diary, 64 more examples
“But,” says Arthur, “I wouldn't be proud of your clothes, / For you've only the lend of them, as I suppose.”
c. 1800s, Arthur McBride, version from 2012, Dick Sheridan, Irish Songs for Ukulele (Songbook), Hal Leonard CorporationHowever, Weldon would soon note his declining potato yield, and his suspicions were confirmed one night when he confronted Joe with a jumper full of spuds. Somehow, Joe managed to talk his way out of trouble. 'I told him I was getting the lend of them,' Joe laughed. It wasn't only vegetables that were targeted, though. For generations of children who grew up on ...
2008, Ronan Casey, Joe Dolan: The Official Biography, Penguin UK, →ISBNOur thanks go to Diran Adebayo for his support, especially his lend of Everything You're Told Is True, to the website. It has been an honour to host […]
2010, One Million Stories Creative Writing Project 2009 Anthology, →ISBN, page 10“Give these to your dad, Betsy, tell him thanks for the lend of them. I'm leaving next week, Betsy.” “Really, where are you going?” Betsy played dumb.
2016, Mary Peters, Betsy, The Coalminer's Daughter, New Generation Publishing, →ISBN
lend2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
lend · verb, noun
- Proto-Indo-European*leykʷ-“to leave, leave over”
- Proto-Germanic*laihną“loan”
- Proto-Germanic*laihnijaną“to loan”
- Proto-West Germanic*laihnijan
- Old Englishlǣnan“to lend; give, grant, lease”
- Middle Englishlenen
- Englishlend
From earlier len (with excrescent -d, as in sound), from Middle English lenen, lænen, from Old English lǣnan (“to lend; give, grant, lease”), from Proto-West Germanic *laihnijan, from Proto-Germanic *laihnijaną (“to loan”), from Proto-Germanic *laihną (“loan”), from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave, leave over”). Cognate with Scots len, lend (“to lend”), West Frisian liene (“to lend, borrow, loan”), Dutch lenen (“to lend, borrow, loan”), Danish låne (“to lend, loan”), Swedish låna (“to lend, loan”), Icelandic lána (“to lend, loan”), Icelandic léna (“to grant”), Latin linquō (“quit, leave, forlet”), Ancient Greek λείπω (leípō, “leave, release”). See also loan.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →lend · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*lendʰ-“loin, kidney”
- Proto-Germanic*landį̄“loin”
- Proto-West Germanic*landī
- Old Englishlenden“loin”
- Old Englishlendenu
- Middle Englishlende
- Englishlend
From Middle English lende (usually in plural as lendes, leendes, lyndes), from Old English lendenu, lendino (“loins”), plural of Old English lenden (“loin”), from Proto-West Germanic *landī, from Proto-Germanic *landį̄ (“loin”), from Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- (“loin, kidney”). Cognate with Scots lend, leynd (“the loins, flank, buttocks”), Dutch lendenen (“loins, reins”), German Lenden (“loins”), Swedish länder (“loins”), Danish lænd (“loin”), Icelandic lendar (“loins”), Latin lumbus (“loin”) (whence loin), Polish lędźwie (“loins”), Russian ля́двея (ljádveja, “thigh, haunch”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek δανείζω, κίχρημι
- δανείζω (daneízō)to allow to be used temporarily
- κίχρημι (kíkhrēmi)to allow to be used temporarily
- δανείζω (daneízō)to make a loan
Arabic أَعَارَ, سَلَّفَ
- أَعَارَ (ʔaʕāra)to allow to be used temporarily
- سَلَّفَ (sallafa)to allow to be used temporarily
- أَقْرَضَ (ʔaqraḍa)to allow to be used temporarily
Bulgarian зае́мам, зае́ма
- зае́мам (zaémam)to allow to be used temporarily
- зае́ма (zaéma)to allow to be used temporarily
- подда́вам се (poddávam se)(reflexive) to be suitable
Catalan prestar
- prestarto allow to be used temporarily
Chinese Mandarin 借出, 借
- 借出 (jièchū)to allow to be used temporarily
- 借 (jiè)to allow to be used temporarily
- 貸款 /贷款 (dàikuǎn)to allow to be used temporarily
Czech půjčovat, půjčit
- půjčovatto allow to be used temporarily
- půjčitto allow to be used temporarily
Danish låne (ud)
- låne (ud)to allow to be used temporarily
Dutch lenen, uitlenen
- lenento allow to be used temporarily
- uitlenento allow to be used temporarily
Esperanto prunti
- pruntito allow to be used temporarily
Estonian laenama
- laenamato allow to be used temporarily
Finnish lainata, antaa lainaksi
- lainatato allow to be used temporarily
- antaa lainaksito allow to be used temporarily
- lainatato make a loan
French prêter, se prêter à
- prêterto allow to be used temporarily
- se prêter à(reflexive) to be suitable
German leihen, verleihen
- leihento allow to be used temporarily
- verleihento allow to be used temporarily
- borgento allow to be used temporarily
Greek δανείζω
- δανείζω (daneízo)to allow to be used temporarily
Hindi उधार देना
- उधार देना (udhār denā)to allow to be used temporarily
Hungarian kölcsönöz, kölcsönad
- kölcsönözto allow to be used temporarily
- kölcsönadto allow to be used temporarily
Icelandic lána
- lánato allow to be used temporarily
Indonesian meminjam
- meminjamto make a loan
Italian prestare
- prestareto allow to be used temporarily
Japanese 貸す
- 貸す (kasu)to allow to be used temporarily
Korean 빌리다
- 빌리다 (billida)to allow to be used temporarily
Latin commodō
- commodōto allow to be used temporarily
Latvian aizdot
- aizdotto allow to be used temporarily
Lithuanian paskolinti
- paskolintito allow to be used temporarily
Māori tukupūtea, tukumoni
- tukupūteato make a loan
- tukumonito make a loan
Norwegian Bokmål låne
- låneto allow to be used temporarily
Persian قرض دادن
- قرض دادن (qarz dâdan)to allow to be used temporarily
Polish pożyczać, pożyczyć
- pożyczaćto allow to be used temporarily
- pożyczyćto allow to be used temporarily
Portuguese emprestar
- emprestarto allow to be used temporarily
Romanian împrumuta
- împrumutato allow to be used temporarily
Russian ода́лживать, одолжи́ть
- ода́лживать (odálživatʹ)to allow to be used temporarily
- одолжи́ть (odolžítʹ)to allow to be used temporarily
- ссужа́ть (ssužátʹ)to allow to be used temporarily
- ссуди́ть (ssudítʹ)to allow to be used temporarily
- дава́ть взаймы́ (davátʹ vzajmý)to allow to be used temporarily
- дать взаймы́ (datʹ vzajmý)to allow to be used temporarily
- дава́ть в долг (davátʹ v dolg)to allow to be used temporarily
- дать в долг (datʹ v dolg)to allow to be used temporarily
- занима́ть (zanimátʹ)to allow to be used temporarily
- заня́ть (zanjátʹ)to allow to be used temporarily
Slovak požičiavať, požičať
- požičiavaťto allow to be used temporarily
- požičaťto allow to be used temporarily
Spanish prestar, emprestar
- prestarto allow to be used temporarily
- emprestarto allow to be used temporarily
- acreerto allow to be used temporarily
Swahili kukopesha
- kukopeshato allow to be used temporarily
Swedish låna, låna ut
- lånato allow to be used temporarily
- låna utto allow to be used temporarily
Thai ให้ยืม
- ให้ยืม (hâi-yʉʉm)to allow to be used temporarily
Turkish borç vermek, iğreti vermek
- borç vermekto allow to be used temporarily
- iğreti vermekto allow to be used temporarily
- ödünç vermekto allow to be used temporarily
Ukrainian позича́ти, пози́чити
- позича́ти (pozyčáty)to allow to be used temporarily
- пози́чити (pozýčyty)to allow to be used temporarily
Urdu قرض دینا
- قرض دینا (qarz denā)to allow to be used temporarily
Vietnamese cho mượn, cho vay
- cho mượnto allow to be used temporarily
- cho vayto allow to be used temporarily
Yiddish לײַען, אויסבאָרגן
- לײַען (layen)to allow to be used temporarily
- אויסבאָרגן (oysborgn)to allow to be used temporarily
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lend
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
lend. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lend
“lend.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lend. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lend,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lend.
Source: lend on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.