Meanings
lien1
plural liens
- obsoletetendon
- lawA right to take possession of a debtor’s property as security until a debt or duty is discharged.
[…] every youth movement presents itself as loan to the future, and tries to call in its lien in advance, but when there is no future all loans are canceled.
1989, Greil Marcus, Lipstick Traces, Faber & Faber, published 20092 more examples
Bodin deemed the king of France's power as absolute in the sense that the ruler was ‘absolved’ by divine sanction from legally binding liens and restrictions.
2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 7In fact, an 1847 state medical convention in Alambama issued a recommendation that doctors caring for slaves seek liens upon the human chattel if their bills were not paid.
2008, Harriet A. Washington, “Southern Discomfort”, in Medical Apartheid, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, page 65
lien2
alternative lyen
- alternativearchaicbiblicalAlternative form of lain.
And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done vnto vs? one of the people might lightly haue lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest haue brought guiltinesse vpon vs.”
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 26:101 more example
And the Priest shall charge her by an othe, and say vnto the woman, If no man haue lyen with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to vncleannesse with another in stead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 5:19
lien3
plural lienes
- obsoletepossiblyuncommonspleen (a ductless vascular gland)
Li'enal. Pertaining to the lien or spleen; splenic.
1892, John Marie Keating, Henry Hamilton, John Chalmers Da Costa, A New Pronouncing Dictionary of Medicine1 more example
The lien or spleen (figs. 282 to 285) is a soft, highly vascular contractile and very elastic organ of a dark purplish colour. It is placed obliquely behind the stomach, …
1914, Quain's Elements of Anatomy, volume 1, page 312Synonyms: milt
Synonyms & antonyms
nounspleen (a ductless vascular gland)
More synonyms by meaning
nouna large dark-red oval organ on the left side of the body between the stomach and the diaphragm; produces cells involved in immune responses
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
lien · noun
- Latinligāmen“bond”
- Middle Frenchlien
- Englishlien
Borrowed from Middle French lien, from Latin ligāmen (“bond”), from ligō (“tie, bind”).
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →lien · noun
- Latinliēn“spleen”
- Englishlien
Borrowed from Latin liēn (“spleen”). Doublet of spleen.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans retensiereg
- retensieregright to take and hold debtor’s property
Chinese Mandarin 留置權 /留置权
- 留置權 /留置权 (liúzhìquán)right to take and hold debtor’s property
Czech zadržovací právo, retenční právo
- zadržovací právoright to take and hold debtor’s property
- retenční právoright to take and hold debtor’s property
Dutch retentierecht
- retentierechtright to take and hold debtor’s property
Finnish panttioikeus, pidätysoikeus
- panttioikeusright to take and hold debtor’s property
- pidätysoikeusright to take and hold debtor’s property
- kiinnitysright to take and hold debtor’s property
French droit de rétention
- droit de rétentionright to take and hold debtor’s property
German Zurückbehaltungsrecht, Retentionsrecht
- Zurückbehaltungsrechtright to take and hold debtor’s property
- Retentionsrechtright to take and hold debtor’s property
Hungarian visszatartási jog
- visszatartási jogright to take and hold debtor’s property
Italian diritto di retenzione
- diritto di retenzioneright to take and hold debtor’s property
Japanese 担保物権
- 担保物権 (tanpo bukken)right to take and hold debtor’s property
Māori riena, riana
- rienaright to take and hold debtor’s property
- rianaright to take and hold debtor’s property
- rīanaright to take and hold debtor’s property
Polish prawo zatrzymania
- prawo zatrzymaniaright to take and hold debtor’s property
Portuguese direito de retenção
- direito de retençãoright to take and hold debtor’s property
Russian зало́говое пра́во, зало́г
- зало́говое пра́во (zalógovoje právo)right to take and hold debtor’s property
- зало́г (zalóg)right to take and hold debtor’s property
Slovak záložné právo
- záložné právoright to take and hold debtor’s property
Spanish derecho de retención
- derecho de retenciónright to take and hold debtor’s property
Swedish panträtt, kvarstadsrätt
- panträttright to take and hold debtor’s property
- kvarstadsrättright to take and hold debtor’s property
Welsh hawlrwym
- hawlrwymright to take and hold debtor’s property
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lien
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lien. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lien
“lien.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lien. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lien,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lien.
Source: lien on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.