1
Stage 1 of 3
lán
Old Norse · medieval
"that which is lent; a gift from a superior"
brought by Viking settlers, it displaced the native Old English cognate 'læn'
2
Stage 2 of 3
lone
Middle English · late 1100s
"a thing lent, with expectation of return"
adopted directly into English in the north and east, Danelaw territory
3
Stage 3 of 3
loan
English · 1540s onward
"money or property lent, usually with interest"
gained a verb use and settled into its modern financial sense
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom