loan versus lend (American English)

English translation: lend is preferred

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:loan versus lend (American English)
Selected answer:lend is preferred
Entered by: Kim Metzger

15:24 Feb 13, 2005
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / preferred usage
English term or phrase: loan versus lend (American English)
I am curious as to whether there is a "preferred" usage in American English in casual, informal speech, as in the example below:
" I loaned the car to my daughter"
"I lent the car to my daughter

Can both be used indistinctively or is there a preferred, way? What I mean by "preferred" is not whether one is correct and the other not, but rather if one of the forms is more elegant. I tend to favor "lent".
Thanks in advance.
George Rabel
Local time: 18:36
Two opinions
Explanation:
The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage - loan: do not use 'loan' as a verb. Use 'lend' and, in the past tense, lent rather than loaned.

The Careful Writer, Theodore Bernstein
Lend, loan
Dictionaries and most other authorities sanction 'loan' as a verb in American usage. Yet, probably because a British influence has been at work, most writers who observe the niceties seem to prefer 'lend', although some accpet 'loan' in financial contexts ("The bank loaned the corporation $3,000,000") and in art contexts ("Three of the paintings were loaned to the museum by Nelson Rockefeller"). If your ear is not offended by "Loan me your pen" or by "Friends, Romans, countrymen, loan me your ears," the authorities are right so far as you are concerned. The rest of us will continue to prefer 'lend' though we recognize that 'loan' has a basis in both history and usage.
Selected response from:

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 16:36
Grading comment
Thank you, Kim. Your answer is quite clear.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +10Two opinions
Kim Metzger
4lend
Claudia Lang
4No distinction
humbird


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +10
loan versus lend (american english)
Two opinions


Explanation:
The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage - loan: do not use 'loan' as a verb. Use 'lend' and, in the past tense, lent rather than loaned.

The Careful Writer, Theodore Bernstein
Lend, loan
Dictionaries and most other authorities sanction 'loan' as a verb in American usage. Yet, probably because a British influence has been at work, most writers who observe the niceties seem to prefer 'lend', although some accpet 'loan' in financial contexts ("The bank loaned the corporation $3,000,000") and in art contexts ("Three of the paintings were loaned to the museum by Nelson Rockefeller"). If your ear is not offended by "Loan me your pen" or by "Friends, Romans, countrymen, loan me your ears," the authorities are right so far as you are concerned. The rest of us will continue to prefer 'lend' though we recognize that 'loan' has a basis in both history and usage.

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 16:36
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 187
Grading comment
Thank you, Kim. Your answer is quite clear.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marian Greenfield: My ears accept "loan me some money" (although lend is better) but much prefer "lend me your car"
3 mins

agree  Claudia Lang: agree
5 mins

agree  Rania KH
21 mins

agree  juvera: Preferably "lent". Marian, I think, because money is more often associated with "loan", (capital, shark, collection etc,)
22 mins

agree  msherms: I agree- and my ears would be offended by loan me your pen or FRY, loan me your ears!!
39 mins

neutral  humbird: Yes "loan" is noun, "lend" is verb. Both meant for "temporary use" and never for transfer of owndership. As for your quote of "Friends, Romans ..." this usage is meant for "support". I think your answer is too indirect to help the asker.
1 hr

agree  JoeYeckley (X): If it's a matter of translating into English, you can also take the easy way out: "...may I borrow your ___ ?"
1 hr

agree  mstkwasa: I think the New York Times Manual of Style and Usage is quite clear.
1 hr

agree  Java Cafe
1 hr

agree  Misiaczek
1 hr

neutral  Alvaro Bengoa Jalabert: What i think is that everything depends on the context. But if it´s not formal, use the common mean. "Loan" reffers commonly to money, and "lend" reffers to borrowing other things. Although... why don´t you use "borrow". And, listen to the New YorkTimes..
4 hrs

agree  Tehani
9 hrs
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
loan versus lend (american english)
lend


Explanation:
I think I would use lend both for money and for cars, that is in any context.Yet,I know that in financial contexts loan is much better colloquially speaking than lend in terms of banking operations for example, and used as a noun. "I asked for a loan"

Claudia Lang
Argentina
Local time: 19:36
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
loan versus lend (american english)
No distinction


Explanation:
I don't believe there's any distinction between two usages, except "I loaned" is grammertically incorrect. However we know very well that in daily, colloquial usage we don't care grammer unless you are Professor Higgins (if you know the movie "My Fair Lady).

Both loan and lend is a grant given to someone for temporary use, not for a transfer of ownereship, let it be money or material (for this reason "grant" is good word because both are, usually, used for a thing which delivers few monetary value. Thus you don't say "lend me a piece of paper").
Nonethless again, we don't care about grammer, so both of your examples are "preferred".

humbird
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  mstkwasa: "Loan" as a transitive verb is not grammatically incorrect - see the OED. It is usually used as to "loan out". Colloquially people say "lend me a piece of paper" meaning "give me a sheet of paper and I will give you another sheet later as replacement."
15 mins
  -> Is this an objection? If so it is moot as I am not saying loan never been used as a verb.
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