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Added 1 October 2026

borrow

/ˈbɒɹəʊ/ verb

In Latin: mūtuor Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about borrow at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it.
To receive money from a bank or other lender under the agreement that the lender will be paid back over time.
To adopt (an idea) as one's own.
to borrow the style, manner, or opinions of another

noun

Deviation of the path of a rolling ball from a straight line; slope; slant.
This putt has a big left-to right borrow on it.
A borrow pit.
In Rust and some other programming languages, the situation where the ownership of a value is temporarily transferred to another region of code.

noun

A ransom; a pledge or guarantee.
A surety; someone standing bail.

Origin

From Middle English borwen, from Old English borgian (“to borrow, lend, pledge surety for”), from Proto-West Germanic *borgōn, from Proto-Germanic *burgōną (“to pledge, take care of”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (“to take care”). Cognate with Dutch borgen (“to borrow, trust”), German borgen (“to borrow, lend”), Danish borge (“to vouch”). Related to Old English beorgan (“to save, preserve”). More at bury.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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