▪ I. † lend, n.1 Obs.
Forms: pl. 1 lendenu, lændenu, lendu, 3 lendin, Orm. lendess, 3–4 lenden, 4–5 lendes, -is, -ys, leendes, lyndes, 6 leyndis, 7– lends. sing. 3–5 lend(e, 4–5 leend(e, 5–6 lind.
[OE. *lęnden (only in pl. lęndenu) = OFris. lenden fem., OS. lendi- (in lendibrêda kidney), MDu. lendene fem. (Du. lende fem.), OHG. lentin fem. (MHG. lende, OHG. lende), ON. lend, pl. lendir (Sw. länd, Da. lend, lænd); the OTeut. form is perh. *landwinjâ:—Pre-Teut. *londhw- whence L. lumbus (whence ultimately loin), OSl. lędvija. An ablaut var. is ON. lundir loins.]
Chiefly pl. The loins; also, the buttocks.
| c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. iii. 4 [Iohannes] hæfde hræᵹl of olbendena herum & fellen gyrdels ymb his lendu [Ags. Gosp. lendenu, Hatton lændene]. a 1100 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 292/13 Lumbos, lændenu. c 1200 Ormin 4772 And cnes, & fet, & shannkess, & lende, & lesske. a 1300 Christ on Cross 9 in E.E.P. (1862) 20 His lendin so hangiþ as cold as marbre stone. a 1300 Cursor M. 22074 Right sua þe deuil sal descend, In anticrist moder lend. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 139 His lyndes & his lymes so longe & so grete. c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 51 A barm-cloth Vp on hir lendes, ful of many a goore. c 1440 Gesta Rom. xxxii. 126 (Harl. MS.) Gurdiþe youre lendys in chastite. 1508 Kennedie Flyting w. Dunbar 45 Lat him lay sax leichis on thy lendis. 1513 Douglas æneis xii. ii. 90 And with thar holl luyffis gan thame cheir, Did clap and straik thare leyndis to mak thame stere. a 1550 Christis Kirke Gr. vi, He lap quhill he lay on his lendis. |
b. attrib., as lend-bone.
| c 1000 ælfric Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 159/23 Sacra spina, lendenban neoþeweard. c 1220 Bestiary 360 Oc leiȝeð his skinbon on oðres lendbon. |
▪ II. lend, n.2 Sc. and north. dial. Also Austral. and N.Z. colloq.
(lɛnd)
Also Sc. lenne, len.
[f. lend v.2 (Not repr. OE. lǽn: see loan n.)]
A loan.
| c 1575 Balfour's Practicks (1754) 197 margin, Quhat is ane lenne, and of the restitutioun thairof. 1594 Sc. Acts Jas. VI (1816) IV. 70/2 Quha euir committis vsurie..(That is to say) takis mair proffite for the len [1597 leane] of money. ? a 1598 Fergusson Sc. Prov. xxix. (1785) 3 A borrowed len should come laughing hame. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 47 Debt may be aweand, be borrowing and lenning, or be buying and selling; or be reason of ane lenne. 1749 J. Steuart Let. 29 Dec. in Publ. Scottish Hist. Soc. (1915) 2nd Ser. IX. 464, I..sent him inclosed a letter..in which I desire the lend of 20{pstlg} sterlin for 18 months. 1826 J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 246 Do ye think Mr. Awmrose could gie me the lend of a nichtcap? 1876 Whitby Gloss., Len, the loan. ‘I thank you for t' len on 't’. 1946 F. Sargeson That Summer 77 Could you give me the lend of a bob? 1965 Listener 2 Sept. 339/1 Thanks for the lend of your earhole, mate. |
▪ III. † lend, v.1 Obs.
Forms: 1 lendan, 3 lænde, Orm. lendenn, 3–6 lende, 4 lenden, 4–5 leende, 4–6 leind, lend, leynd(e, 5 leend, (lynd). pa. tense 3 lænde, lende, 4 lend, lended, -id, -it, -yd, -yt, 4–5 lente, 4–6 lent, 5 leende. pa. pple. 4 lende, lente, 4–6 lent.
[OE. lęndan = OHG. lenten (MHG. lenden), ON. lenda:—OTeut. *landjan, f. *lando{supm} land n.1 Cf. land v.]
1. intr. To arrive, come. Also refl.
Sometimes conjugated with the verb to be.
| 11.. O.E. Chron. an. 1036 Man hine lædde to Eliᵹ byriᵹ swa ᵹebundenne, sona swa he lende, on scype man hine blende. c 1200 Ormin 2141 Swa þatt he [þe steoressmann] muȝhe lendenn rihht To lande wiþþ hiss wille. a 1300 Cursor M. 1868 Þe schipp on land bigan to lend. Ibid. 22053 An angel..i sagh lendand Wit a mikel cheigne in hand. 13.. Sir Beues 4277 (MS. A.) Þai lende ouer þe se beliue, At Souþhamtoun þai gonne vp riue. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 201 Of what londe art þou lent. a 1400 Octouian 615 The seuende day har schyp lente At Japhet. a 1400–50 Alexander 573 Than lendis him vp þe leue kyng his lady to vysite. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4488 To morne or none to þe leendys Fyue hundreth' of þi best frendys. 15.. Geste Rob. Hode vii. xlii, Now shalte thou se what lyfe we lede, Or thou hens wende, Than thou may enfourme our kynge, When ye togyder lende. |
b. To go, depart.
| [a 1310: see 2.] a 1375 Joseph Arim. 207 A child cominge þorw, his come was nout seene, Siþen lenges a while and a-ȝein lendes. Ibid. 709 Þei lenden of þe toun and leuen hit þere. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 105 Lete fleischeli knowynge from þee be lent. |
2. To light (up)on. lit. and fig.
This would seem to be the original meaning and in the common ME. alliterative phrase love is lent, but the verb may have been subsequently otherwise interpreted as = lean, to incline; in some contexts it was perh. associated with next vb.: cf. lend v.2 2 α (quot. 1430).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4214 Al mi luue on him was lend. Ibid. 10776 A duu þat was fra heuen send þare lighted dun, and þar-on lend. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. vi. 28 From alle wymmen mi love is lent ant lyht on Alysoun. Ibid., Levedi, al for thine sake longinge is y-lent me on. c 1340 Cursor M. (Cotton Galba) 29322 Þe elleuynd poynt [of cursing] opon þam lendes þat witandly with-haldes tendes. c 1400 Melayne 1044 Thynk appon Marie brighte, To whayme oure lufe es lentt. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 28 Longinge is in me so lent. c 1460 Emare 404 The kynges love on her was lent. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxv. 35 Sich light can on vs leynd In paradyse full playn. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 498 Gif his lust so be lent, into my lyre quhit. |
3. To tarry, remain, stay; to dwell, abide.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2966 He dred þe folk was ful o pride, Quils he war lendand þam biside. c 1320 R. Brunne Medit. 1039 A ! sone, here may y no longer lende. 1352 Minot Poems vii. 36 Thai lended thare bot litill while, Til Franchemen to grante thaire grace. 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 747 And, quhill him likit thar to leynd, Euirilk day thai suld him seynd Wictalis for three hundred men. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 729 On englisch marche sall' þou lende. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xi. 352 Thus long where haue ye lent? 1513 Douglas æneis iv. x. 9 Quhatsumevir in the braid lochis weir, Or amang buskis harsk leyndis ondir the spray. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. 26140 That we ressaue him alway for oure freind, At oure plesour in oure landis to leind. |
b. Conjugated with the vb. to be. to be lent = sense 3. lent (pa. pple.) = remaining, abiding, dwelling.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1084 Aungelles..Aboutte my lady was lent, quen ho delyuer were. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1319 Þe lorde of þe londe is lent on his gamnez. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxi. (Clement) 229 With me is lent a ȝung man, callit to nam clement. c 1400 Destr. Troy 13857 He fraynit..In what lond he was lent. a 1440 Sir Eglam. 87 Evyr syth thou were a chylde Thou haste byn lente wyth me. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 591 Thair was na leid on lyfe lent in this land. 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 3207 Theyr company and mynysters that were there lent. 1513 Douglas æneis viii. Prol. 14 Langour lent is in land, all lychtnes is lost. |
c. refl. To make one's abode, settle. rare.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2479 Abram lendid him o-nan Biside þe folk of chanaan. |
4. causal. To cause to come; to bring, place.
| a 1200 Moral Ode 122 God ȝeue þet vre ende bo god and wite þet he vs lende [Egerton MS. lende, later copy lenne]. c 1205 Lay. 1989 Neh him he heom lænde [c 1275 lende]. |
▪ IV. lend, v.2
(lɛnd)
Pa. tense and pple. lent. Forms: inf. α. 1 lǽnan, (3rd sing. pres. ind. lǽn(e)þ, lénþ), 2–3 leanen, 3 læne(n, (2nd sing. pres. ind. lenst), 3–4 lenen, 3–6 lene, 3, 7 leane, 4 lyne, 4–5 leen(e, leyn(e. Also Sc. and north. (with short vowel) 4–6 len, lenne, 6 lenn, 8–9 len', len. β. 3–6 lende, (4 3rd sing. pres. ind. lent), 5 leendyn, 6 lind, 4– lend. pa. tense. α. 2–6 lende, 4 lened(e, 5 land. β. 4, 6 lante, 6 leant, 6–7 lended, 3– lent. pa. pple. α. 2–3 ilænd, ilend, 3 lenedd, ile(a)net, 3–5 lend, 5 iland, lande, lende. β. 3–5 lant(e, lente, 5 lendid, 5–6 lentt(e, 7 lended, 3– lent.
[OE. lǽnan, f. lǽn (see loan n.). The other Teut. langs. have vbs. derived from the n., but they differ in conjugation from the OE. vb.; cf. OFris. lêna, lênia, Du. leenen, OHG. lêhanôn (MHG. lêhenen, mod.G. lehnen to enfeoff).
The substitution of lend- for lēn- in the present-stem, which began early in ME., is explained by the fact that the pa. tense lende would regularly correspond either to lēnen or lenden in the infinitive, and the preponderance of analogy (cf. lend v.1, also bend, rend, send, wend) was on the side of the latter form. The Sc. and northern form len, lenn(e, owes its shortened vowel to the influence of the pa. tense and pa. pple.]
1. a. trans. To grant the temporary possession of (a thing) on condition or in expectation of the return of the same or its equivalent. Also with second (datival) obj. of the person; hence rarely in indir. pass.
| α c 1000 ælfric Gram. xxiv. (Z.) 135 Læne me ða boc to rædenne. c 1200 [see 1 d α]. a 1225 Ancr. R. 248 Þeo ancre þet wernde an oðer a cwaer uorto lenen. c 1275 Lay. 25178 For to bi-ȝeten þin rihtes ich leane þe ten þousend cnihtes. a 1300 Sarmun in E.E.P. (1862) 3 Þoȝ man hit [i.e. wealth] hab, hit nis noȝt his: hit nis ilend him bot alone fort to libbe is lif. a 1300 Cursor M. 15197 Þat he yow wald len sum place, To mak vr mangeri. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 153 Lene þou me þre loves. c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 473 Leene me a marc quod he, but dayes three And at my day I wol it quiten thee. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 737, I sal lene the her mi ring, Bot yelde it me at myne askyng. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xviii. ix, I wold praye yow to lene me a shelde that were not openly knowen, for myn is wel knowen. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxiv. 481 So the kynge lende or gaue him, I cannat tell wheder, a lx. thousande frankes. 1595 Duncan App. Etymol. (E.D.S.), Praesto, to len. 1608 Vestry Bks. (Surtees) 213 That neyther the Clarke nor Sacriston shall lenn or carrie forthe of the churche any ledders. c 1630 P. Young in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 144 Desire his Worship to leane me Marianus his Chronicon..for the tyme he is in the countrie. |
| β c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 135 Fifty þousand marcs had he lent abbeis Þat wer in pouerte. 1467 Waterford Arch. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 304 Women that borowid or lendid any manere of goodes. c 1491 Caxton Chast. Goddes Chyld. 69 Riches and worshippes ben but lente to man for a tyme to yelde rekeninge of hem how they ben spended. 1573 Baret Alv. L 275 To lende one his house to solemnise a mariage in. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. i. 77 Is he a Lambe? his Skinne is surely lent him, For hee's enclin'd as is the Rauenous Wolues. 1653 Walton Angler iv. 95 This minnow I will..if you like it, lend it you, to have two or three made by it. 1718 Pope Let. to Lady M. W. Montagu 1 Sept., I have..passed part of this summer at an old romantic seat of my Lord Harcourt's, which he lent me. 1785 H. Walpole Let. H. Mann 3 Feb., I have very lately been lent a volume of poems. 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge ii, Lend it me for a moment. 1893 Sir J. W. Chitty in Law Times Rep. LXVIII. 429/1 The lease..had been lent..to the plaintiff..for perusal. |
b. spec. To grant the possession and use of (money) for a fixed charge; to let out at interest.
| α a 900 Kent. Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 74/34 Fenerator, lenð. a 1300 Cursor M. 14033 It was a man quilum was wont Penis for to lene vm-stunt. c 1440 York Myst. xxxii. 354 If it ware youre lekyng, my lorde, for to lene it, xxx pens I wolde ȝe lente on-to me. a 1450 Myrc 1293 Hast þou I-land any thynge To haue the more wynnynge? c 1483 Caxton Dialogues viii. 39 Neuertheles leneth he The pound for thre halfpens. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) iv. xxi. 227, I lenne the an hondred crownes. |
| β a 1300 Cursor M. 28404 Agains will i lent my thing, And quilum tok þar-for okeryng. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 296/1 Leendyn, presto, fenero. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. iii. 123 You cald me dog: and for these curtesies Ile lend you thus much moneyes. 1607 Middleton Five Gallants i. i, Lent the fift day of September to mistresse Onset vpon her gowne..three pound fifteene shillings. 1611 Bible Lev. xxv. 37 Thou shalt not..lend him thy victuals for increase. c 1648–50 R. Brathwait Barnabees Jrnl. ii. (1818) 61 What I spent the miser lended. 1776 Adam Smith W.N. ii. iv. (1869) I. 353 The stock which is lent at interest is always considered as a capital by the lender. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) IV. 498 All bonds, contracts, and assurances whatsoever, for payment of any principal money to be lent. |
† c. With cogn. obj. (loan). Obs.
| a 1240 Sawles Warde in Cott. Hom. 257 Se riche lane..þat he haueð ileanet him. a 1300 Cursor M. 7506, I had na help bot me allan, And drightin þat me lent his lan. |
d. absol. or intr. To make a loan or loans.
| α c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke vi. 34 Gyf ᵹe lænaþ þam þe ᵹe eft æt onfoð hwylc þanc is eow? c 1200 Vices & Virtues 11 Ðat we sculen bliðeliche ȝiuen and leanen..alle ðe..us for his luue besecheð of ðan ilche gode ðe he us hafð ilænd. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxxvi. 27 All day he has mercy & lennys. ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 186 That is she that for usure Leneth to many a creature. c 1491 Caxton Chast. Goddes Chyld. 22 They ben soo harde that neyther thei wyll yeue ne lene. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxiii. 4 And with thy nychtbouris glaidly len and borrow. 1572 Satir. Poems Reform. xxxiii. 24 To borrow and len glaidlie. |
| β 1388 Wyclif Exod. xii. 36 The Lord ȝaf grace to the puple bifor Egipcians, that the Egipcians lenten to hem. 1535 Coverdale Ps. cxi. 5 Wel is him that is mercifull, & lendeth gladly. 1573 Baret Alv. L 276 To lend vpon a bill or an obligacion. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. iv. 3 Natures bequest giues nothing but doth lend, And being franck she lends to those are free. 1611 Bible Prov. xix. 17 Hee that hath pity vpon the poore, lendeth vnto the Lord. 1625 Bacon Ess., Of Usury (Arb.) 545 Let there be Certaine Persons licensed to Lend, to knowne Merchants, vpon Vsury at a Higher Rate. |
e. to lend out (or † forth): = 1, 1 b; now esp. used of lending libraries.
| 1550 Crowley Last Trump. 1118 To lende thy goodes out for vnlawful gayne. 1580 Extracts Burgh. Rec. Edinb. (1882) IV. 183 Nane of the saidis buikis sall be nawayis lentt furth..bot vpon the conditioun [etc.]. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. iii. 45 He lends out money gratis. 1637–8 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) I. 120 If he should lend out his Lodgings himselfe. 1681 R. Knox Hist. Relat. Ceylon iv. vii. 149, I perceived a Trade in use among them which was to lend out Corn. 1734 Berkeley Let. to Johnson 4 Apr., Wks. 1871 IV. 221 As to lending out the books of your library. 1855 Browning Fra Lippo 307 God uses us to help each other so, Lending our minds out. 1890 Spectator 14 June, 20,000 books of reference (which are not, of course, to be lent out). |
2. a. To give, grant, bestow; to impart, afford. (The obj. usually denotes something which though capable of being bestowed by the subject is not in his possession, or which is viewed as an adventitious or temporary possession or attribute.)
| α a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 2059 (Gr.) Ece drihten eað mihte æt þam spereniðe spede lænan. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 We ahte..þonkien hit ure drihten þe hit us lende. Ibid. 105 Þet mon wisliche spene þa þing þe him god lene on þisse liue to brukene. c 1200 Ormin 5159 Affterr þatt little witt tatt me Min Drihhtin hafeþþ lenedd. c 1205 Lay. 228 Þis lond he hire lende. Ibid. 11494 Læn [c 1275 lean] me Mauric þinne sune Þe is a swiðe wis gume. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1084 Ȝef he nere soð godd..hu mahte he lenen lif to þe deade? c 1340 Cursor M. 4882 (Fairf.) Lorde lene grace atte hit so be. a 1400–50 Alexander 3108 With all þe Iolyte & Ioy þat Iubiter vs lenes. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 23 Ihesu, þat me loue hast lende. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 2532 Yit grete God slik grace him len. a 1510 Douglas K. Hart 351 Sythen scho ask, no licence to her len. 1538 Starkey England i. iii. 84 The partys in proportyon not agreyng, but havyng of some to many, and of some to few, lene much enormyte. 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. ii. ii. Babylon 532 A zeal to len A gainfull pleasure to my Countrymen. a 1600 Montgomerie Sonn. xliv. 9 Let Mercure language to me len, With Pindar pennis, for to outspring the spheirs. |
| β a 1300 Cursor M. 649 Þe mikel ioy þat þam es lent. c 1375 Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. B) 342 My lyue, my lymmes þou has me lent. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 106 He [God] haþ lant þe lyf and liht. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxxiii. 26 Welcum, my benefice, and my rent, And all the lyflett to me lent. 1589 Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 40 He rested satisfied with her answere, and therupon lent her a kisse. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 539 Her armes do lend his necke a sweet imbrace. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 151 And euer may your Highnesse yoake together, (As I will lend you cause) my doing well, With my well saying. 1623 Middleton Tri. Integrity Wks. (Bullen) VII. 386 A speaker lends a voice to these following words. 1634 Milton Comus 938 Com Lady while Heaven lends us grace, Let us fly this cursed place. 1760 Foote Minor ii. Wks. 1799 I. 269 Your father talks of lending me a lift. 1790 Burns Tam Glen i, Some counsel unto me come len'. 1799 Campbell Pleas. Hope i. 7 'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view. 1805 Scott Last Minstr. i. ix, And many a flower and many a tear Old Teviot's maids and matrons lent. 1832 Tennyson Lady of Shalott iv, God in his mercy lend her grace. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 536 Grey, who..was ready for any undertaking, however desperate, lent his aid. 1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus xli. 8 A mirror Sure would lend her a soberer reflexion. 1883 Gilmour Mongols xxxi. 362 The Mongols of lower rank lending dignity to their superiors by attending them to and from the palace. |
| absol. or intr. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. xv. 51 God us lene of ys lyht. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 210 Loue hem, and lene hem so the lawe of kynde wole. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love iii. ix. (Skeat) I. 78, I pray to the holy gost, he lene of his oyntmentes, mennes wittes to clere. a 1529 Skelton E. Rummyng 131 Wyth all theyr myght runnynge To Elynour Rummynge, To haue of her tunnynge: She leneth them on the same. |
† b. with acc. and inf. or clause: To grant. Obs.
The sense closely resembles that of leve v.; in MSS. it is often uncertain whether the word is lene or leue (leve).
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 4159 In swilc ðewes lene us to cumen. c 1340 Cursor M. 27820 (Cotton Galba) God len vs to forgif man kyn. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 1750 (Harl. MS.) God lene vs for to take it for the beste. c 1385 ― L.G.W. 2083 Ariadne, God..lene [v.rr. leen, leue] me neuere swich a cas be-falle..And leue [v.rr. leve, leen, lyve, lene] here aftyr that I may ȝow fynde..so kynde. ? a 1500 How Merchande dyd Wyfe betray 215 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 206 Were sche dedd (god lene hyt wolde!). |
† c. To hold out (a hand) to be taken. Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 2224 Lene me youre hond, for this is oure accord. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. iii. i. 188 Lend me thy hand, and I will giue thee mine. 1601 ― All's Well v. iii. 340 Your gentle hands lend vs, and take our hearts. 1611 ― Wint. T. iv. iii. 71 Lend me thy hand, Ile helpe thee. |
d. to lend an ear or one's ears: to listen, pay attention; often with qualifying adj. † to lend a deaf ear: to refuse to listen. † Also to lend audience, lend hearing.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxx. (Theodora) 92 Þane wald scho..til hym len a def ere ay. 1580 Sidney Ps. xxii. ii, O God..to my plaint thou hast not audience lent. 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. (1882) 6 The sweeter the Syren singeth, the dangerouser is it to lend hir our eares. 1597 Shakes. Lover's Compl. 278 Lending soft audience to my sweet designe. 1601 ― Jul. C. iii. ii. 78. 1602 ― Ham. i. v. 5 Lend thy serious hearing To what I shall vnfold. 1671 Milton P.R. iv. 272 To sage Philosophy next lend thine ear. 1777 Watson Philip II (1793) I. ix. 351 The King..lent a deaf ear to all the representations that were made to him. 1843 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. I. 266 A song about Adam that John should lend all his ears to. 1848 W. K. Kelly tr. L. Blanc's Hist. Ten Y. I. 136 Charles X...lent a cold ear to the..reports brought him by the general. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola xxi, The young king seemed to lend a willing ear. |
e. To afford the use or support of (a part of the body); esp. in to lend a hand (or a helping hand), to render assistance, assist, help.
| 1598 Florio Ep. Ded. 4 The retainer doth some seruice, that now and then..lendes a hande ouer a stile. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. ii. i. Wks. 1856 I. 91 Too squemish to..lend a hand to an ignoble act. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. v. i. 447 Sweet Isabel, doe yet but kneele by me..Oh Isabel; will you not lend a knee? 1608 ― Per. v. i. 264 Sir, lend me your arme. 1632 Massinger City Madam i. ii, I'll lend a helping hand To raise your fortunes. 1694 Motteux Rabelais iv. xx. (1737) 85 Lend's a Hand here. 1763 Foote Mayor of G. i. Wks. 1799 I. 168 Thinking that this would prove a busy day..I am come..to lend you a hand. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas i. xiii. ¶2 Lend a helping hand. 1813 Shelley Q. Mab v. 206 Without a shudder, the slave-soldier lends His arm to murderous deeds. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. iii, I could not sleep If I had lent a hand to rob a church. 1894 Baring-Gould Kitty Alone II. 175 Lend me your arm, said Pepperill. 1940 Times 11 Dec. 5/4 In war-time a good many people take to what is vaguely called ‘lending a hand’ in the domestic circle. 1951 E. Paul Springtime in Paris iv. 69 The local heroes all were known, except two passing strangers who had lent a hand at the barricade and died anonymously. 1961 New Eng. Bible Luke x. 40 Tell her to come and lend a hand. |
f. To give or deal (a blow). Now dial.
| c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxii. 136 A swap fayn, if I durst, wold I lene the this tyde. a 1550 Christis Kirke Gr. xiv, With forks and flails thay lent grit flappis. 1591 Greene Art Conny Catch. ii. (1592) 25 The women..among whom he leant some lustie buffets. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus' Ann. ii. ii. (1622) 154 A blow which the Tribune lent her. 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. ii. 281 Vpon the head hee lent so violent a stroke That the poor emptie skull like some thin potsheard broke. 1783 Fielding Quix. Eng. iii. xiv, If thou dost any more, I shall lend thee a knock. 1790 Mrs. Wheeler Westmld. Dial. (1821) 67 Tom gat up and lent a girt drive at Sam. 1833 L. Ritchie Wand. by Loire 140 [She] lent him such a slap upon the face as made the wood ring again! |
g. To spend (one's energies), devote (one's strength) to. rare.
| 1697 Dryden æneid vii. 534 [They] lend their little Souls at ev'ry Stroke [L. dant animos plagae]. 1809–12 M. Edgeworth Absentee xiii. (1893) 221 Plying the whip, and lending his very soul at every lash. 1878 H. M. Stanley Dark Cont. II. xiii. 367 A man who could thus lend every fibre of his body to mere work. |
h. to lend colour (to): see colour n.1 12 e.
3. refl. To accommodate or adapt oneself to. Of things: To admit of being applied to a purpose or subjected to a certain treatment.
| 1854 S. Brooks Aspen Crt. I. ix. 122 She wore a plain blue cloth dress, which lent itself to her exquisite figure. 1874 J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Par. Churches 227 None lends itself better to architectural purposes. 1874 Carpenter Ment. Phys. i. vi. §3 (1879) 308 Playing on the credulity of such as lent themselves to his clever deceptions. 1879 Froude Cæsar xii. 150 Cæsar neither then nor ever lent himself to popular excesses. 1885 Manch. Exam. 3 Nov. 5/1 He loves Ireland too well to lend himself to such a policy. |