Pawning

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The procedure of offering personal belongings to a lender in return for monetary assistance, where these items are retained as security for future redemption
2. The practice of surrendering possessions to acquire funds, under the condition that such items can be retrieved upon the loan's repayment
3. The act of transferring ownership of valuables to a loan provider for cash, with the agreement that the items may be reclaimed once the debt is settled

Etymology: Pawning is simply pawn with the suffix "-ing" attached, so the interesting history lies in the base word. "Pawn" entered English from Old French "pan" (a pledge or security), and the sense of leaving an object as security for a loan has been part of the word since its arrival. The noun "pawn" was itself the source of the verb, so pawning is a verb built on a noun that already carried the idea of a deposit held against a debt. The "-ing" ending traces back through Middle English "-ynge" and Old English "-ung", a suffix that turned verbs into nouns of action or gerunds. In pawning, it marks the ongoing act of handing over the item, the transaction itself rather than the object.

Synonyms: depositing, collateralizing, mortgaging, pledging, borrowing

Antonyms: buying, possessing, owning, retaining, acquiring