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Pawn
Definitions
- 1 The state of being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge. uncountable
"All our jewellery was in pawn by this stage."
- 2 The most numerous chess piece, or a similar piece in a similar game. In chess, each side starts with eight; moves are only forward, and attacks are only diagonally or en passant.
"The pawn may move forward to the square immediately in front of it on the same file, provided that this square is unoccupied […] Consequently, in the initial position the white pieces and pawns are placed on the first and second ranks; the black pieces and pawns on the eighth and seventh ranks."
- 3 Alternative form of paan. alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
"A tray filled with pawns, prepared with the usual ingredients, as lime cuttie (a bitter gum), betel-nut, tobacco, spices, &c."
- 4 A gallery.
- 5 borrowing and leaving an article as security for repayment of the loan wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 An instance of pawning something. countable, uncountable
"Redeem from broking pawn the blemish'd crown."
- 7 A person being manipulated by another, being used to some end. idiomatic
"Near-synonym: chess piece"
- 8 (chess) the least powerful piece; moves only forward and captures only to the side; it can be promoted to a more powerful piece if it reaches the 8th rank wordnet
- 9 An item given as security on a loan, or as a pledge. archaic, countable, uncountable
"My life I never held but as a pawn / To wage against thy enemies."
- 10 a person used by another to gain an end wordnet
- 11 A pawnshop; pawnbroker. countable, rare, uncountable
- 12 an article deposited as security wordnet
- 1 To pledge; to stake or wager. transitive
- 2 Alternative form of pwn. alt-of, alternative
- 3 leave as a guarantee in return for money wordnet
- 4 To give as security on a loan of money; especially, to deposit (something) at a pawn shop. transitive
"A certain, and probably an appreciable, proportion of his so-called money at call and short notice would consist of fortnightly advances made to members of the Stock Exchange against pawned stocks and shares."
Etymology
From Middle English paun, pawyn, pawnd, from Old French pan, pant (“pledge for a payment”), from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *pand (“deposit, security, pledge”), further origin uncertain. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Pound (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), West Frisian pân (“pawn”), Dutch pand (“pledge, pawn”), German Low German Pand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), German Pfand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), Swedish pant (“pledge, pawn”), Faroese pantur (“security, lien”), Icelandic pantur (“pledge, security, pawn”).
From Middle English paun, pawyn, pawnd, from Old French pan, pant (“pledge for a payment”), from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *pand (“deposit, security, pledge”), further origin uncertain. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Pound (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), West Frisian pân (“pawn”), Dutch pand (“pledge, pawn”), German Low German Pand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), German Pfand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), Swedish pant (“pledge, pawn”), Faroese pantur (“security, lien”), Icelandic pantur (“pledge, security, pawn”).
From Middle English pown, from Anglo-Norman poun, paun (“footman”), from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”), derived from Latin ped- (“foot”). Doublet of peon.
See also for "pawn"
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