Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “lend” come from?

Lend comes from Middle English lende, from Old English lendenu, from Proto-Germanic landį̄, which derives from Proto-Indo-European roots including ḱel- and leykʷ-, originally meaning to leave or allow.

lend (English): The lumbar region; loin; The loins; flank;...

Definitions

  1. The lumbar region; loin; The loins; flank;...

Ancestry of “lend”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishlen—
2Middle Englishlenento lean
3Old Englishlǣnanto lend; give, grant, lease
4Proto-West Germaniclaihnijan—
5Proto-Germaniclaihnijanąto loan, lend
6Proto-Germaniclaihnąthat which is lent, loan; fief
7Proto-Indo-Europeanleykʷ-to leave

Words derived from “lend”

  • lendeth
  • relend
  • lendable
  • lendee
  • overlend
  • unlendable
  • interlend
  • lendability
  • forlend
  • forelend
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leykʷ- →