Borrower

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɔɹəʊə/

Definitions

1. A person or organization that acquires an item or financial resources from another with the promise of restitution at a later time
2. An entity that secures goods or capital from someone else, committing to return or repay them as agreed upon
3. An individual or group that takes possession of resources or finances from another party, agreeing to return or repay them in the future

Etymology: "Borrower" is about as plain as English etymology gets: it is the verb "borrow" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, meaning one who borrows. The suffix turns an action into a person or thing that performs it, so a baker bakes and a lender lends, and a borrower is whoever takes something on the understanding that it will be given back. The verb it comes from entered English in Old English times as "borgian," meaning to lend or to take on loan, and the word's core sense of a loan carrying an obligation to repay has stayed remarkably stable across the centuries. The noun was formed in Middle English, where the form "borower" and its variants "borewer" and "borwere" appear, and it has changed little since.

Synonyms: debtor, lessee

Antonyms: lender, creditor