Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “loan” come from?

Loan comes from Middle English lane, borrowed from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic laihną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leykʷ-.

loan (English): An act or instance of lending, an act or instance...

Definitions

  1. An act or instance of lending, an act or instance...

Ancestry of “loan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scottish Gaeliclòn—
2Middle Irishlon—
3Old Irishlónfat; provision, food, victuals, sustenance; feast
4Proto-Celtic*lawano-—
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

Words derived from “loan”

  • loanable
  • loanword
  • loaner
  • microloan
  • loanee
  • reloan
  • loanmonger
  • interloan
  • loanback
  • loanholder
  • loanworthy
  • loan-back
  • loanability
  • loanest
  • loanwords
  • loanblend
  • miniloan
  • loaneth
  • on-loan
  • on-loaned
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →