ENGLISH
REFERENCE

lend

v. · n.
US //ˈɫɛnd// UK //lˈɛnd// lend
Irregular verb past lent past participle lent
  1. 1 to give temporarily (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to let someone use something of yours for a while, which they must give back later.

    to grant the temporary use of something on the condition that it or its equivalent be returned. Transitive, taking both a direct and indirect object.

    Example

    I can lend you my umbrella if you promise to bring it back tomorrow.

    Example

    The central bank agreed to lend the struggling firm enough capital to cover its immediate debts and avoid bankruptcy.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the patterns 'lend someone something' or 'lend something to someone'.
    Pitfall
    Can you lend to me your pen?
    Can you lend me your pen?

    When using 'lend' with two objects, the person comes first without 'to', or you can say 'lend your pen to me'.

  2. 2 to be suitable for (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to be good or useful for a particular purpose or activity.

    to be suitable or applicable to a specific use; frequently used reflexively with 'itself to'.

    Example

    The flat surface of the rock lends itself to a perfect picnic spot.

    Example

    The modular design of the software lends itself to easy customisation by third-party developers.

    Usage

    Usually appears as 'lend itself to' followed by a noun or gerund.
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  1. 3 to provide a quality (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    to give a certain feeling or quality to something.

    to contribute or impart a specific quality, such as credibility or atmosphere, to a situation.

    Example

    The old stone walls lend the house a very traditional character.

    Example

    The presence of several Nobel laureates at the conference served to lend weight to the committee's controversial findings.
  2. 4 a loan (n.)
    C2 Proficiency British English Dialect

    the act of letting someone borrow something.

    the act of lending or the permission to borrow an item.

    Example

    Could I have a lend of your ladder for the afternoon?

    Example

    He asked for the lend of a hammer, promising to return it before the hardware store closed for the weekend.

    Teacher's tip

    This noun use is common in informal British and Irish English, but 'loan' is the standard term in formal writing.
Etymology 1

From earlier len (with excrescent -d, as in sound), from Middle English lenen, lænen, from Old English lǣnan (“to lend; give, grant, lease”), from Proto-West Germanic laihnijan, from Proto-Germanic laihnijaną (“to loan”), from Proto-Germanic laihną (“loan”), from Proto-Indo-European leykʷ- (“to leave, leave over”). Cognate with Scots len, lend (“to lend”), West Frisian liene (“to lend, borrow, loan”), Dutch lenen (“to lend, borrow, loan”), Danish låne (“to lend, loan”), Swedish låna (“to lend, loan”), Icelandic lána (“to lend, loan”), Icelandic léna (“to grant”), Latin linquō (“quit, leave, forlet”), Ancient Greek λείπω (leípō, “leave, release”). See also loan.

Etymology 2

From Middle English lende (usually in plural as lendes, leendes, lyndes), from Old English lendenu, lendino (“loins”), plural of Old English lenden (“loin”), from Proto-West Germanic landī, from Proto-Germanic landį̄ (“loin”), from Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- (“loin, kidney”). Cognate with Scots lend, leynd (“the loins, flank, buttocks”), Dutch lendenen (“loins, reins”), German Lenden (“loins”), Swedish länder (“loins”), Danish lænd (“loin”), Icelandic lendar (“loins”), Latin lumbus (“loin”) (whence loin), Polish lędźwie (“loins”), Russian ля́двея (ljádveja, “thigh, haunch”).

Word family
Idioms3 entries

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