lehnen

• IPA^(key): /ˈleːnən/

• Audio:

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• Homophones: Lehnen, Lenen

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.

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

• ablehnen
• anlehnen
• auflehnen
• hinauslehnen
• Lehne

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

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

1. (archaic) to lend, borrow

• 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).

• belehnen
• entlehnen
• Lehnbedeutung
• Lehnübersetzung
• Lehnwort

• Lehen

• “lehnen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “lehnen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “lehnen” in OpenThesaurus.de
• “lehnen, (anlehnen, stützen)” in Duden online
• “lehnen, (übertragen, verleihen)” in Duden online