English
loan
Loan comes from Middle English lone, from Old Norse lán ‘loan’, from Proto-Germanic *laihną ‘that which is lent’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- ‘to leave’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leykʷ-‘to leave’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*laihną‘that which is lent’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350lán
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lone
- Englishearliest quotation 1820loan
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leykʷ-‘to leave’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*laihną‘that which is lent’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350lán
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lone
- Englishearliest quotation 1820loan
Earliest quotation: 1820, William King, Letters to James Monroe: President of the United States: “In the course of a correspondence that passed between…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- ‘to leave (over)’
relic, elliptical, delinquent, relinquish, delinquency, elliptic, ellipse, ecliptic, ellipsis, 12 more
through Proto-Germanic *laihną ‘that which is lent, loan’
Another origin of loan
- Scottish Gaelicmodernlòn‘marshy meadow’
- Englishtodayloan
Today it means
noun An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- / loan