lehnen

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See also: Lehnen

German

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From a merger of two interrelated verbs:.

  1. Middle High German linen, lenen, from Old High German hlinēn, from Proto-West Germanic *hlinēn, from Proto-Germanic *hlināną
  2. Middle High German leinen, from Old High German hleinen, from Proto-West Germanic *hlainijan, from Proto-Germanic *hlainijaną, a causative of the former.

The merger occurred in Central and Low German dialects, in which -ei- and open-syllable -i-, -e- all become > -ē- (Middle Low German lēnen). Some Upper German dialects retain a distinction between transitive and intransitive forms to this day. Cognate with Dutch leunen, English lean.

Verb

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lehnen (weak, third-person singular present lehnt, past tense lehnte, past participle gelehnt, auxiliary haben)

  1. (intransitive or reflexive) to lean
  2. (transitive) to lean something
Conjugation
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Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From Old High German lēhanōn. Cognate with Dutch lenen, English lend.

Verb

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lehnen (weak, third-person singular present lehnt, past tense lehnte, past participle gelehnt, auxiliary haben)

  1. (archaic) to lend, borrow
Usage notes
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  • The derivative entlehnen remains common in the specific sense of “to borrow a word, idea, cultural concept/object”. In the same context also the stem lehn- in compounds (see below).
Conjugation
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Derived terms
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Further reading

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