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lend (lĕnd)
Share:
v. lent (lĕnt), lend·ing, lends
v.tr.
1.
a. To give or allow the use of temporarily on the condition that the same or its equivalent will be returned.
b. To provide (money) temporarily on condition that the amount borrowed be returned, usually with an interest fee.
2. To make available for another's use: The neighbors lent us help after the storm.
3. To contribute or impart: Books and a fireplace lent a feeling of warmth to the room.
v.intr.
To make a loan. See Usage Note at loan.
Idioms:
lend a hand
To be of assistance.
lend (itself) to
To accommodate or offer itself to; be suitable for: "The presidency does not lend itself to on the job training" (Joe Biden).
[Middle English lenden, alteration of lenen (on the model of such verbs as senden, to send, whose past participle sent rhymed with lent, past participle of lenen), from Old English lǣnan; see leikw- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
lender n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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