pawn

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈpȯn How to pronounce pawn (audio)
ˈpän
1
: one of the chessmen of least value having the power to move only forward ordinarily one square at a time, to capture only diagonally forward, and to be promoted to any piece except a king upon reaching the eighth rank
2
: one that can be used to further the purposes of another

pawn

2 of 3

noun (2)

1
a
: something delivered to or deposited with another as security for a loan
b
2
: the state of being pledged
3
: something used as a pledge : guaranty
4
: the act of pawning

pawn

3 of 3

verb

pawned; pawning; pawns

transitive verb

: to deposit in pledge or as security especially in exchange for money
pawner
ˈpȯ-nər How to pronounce pawn (audio)
ˈpä-
noun
or less commonly pawnor
ˈpȯ-nər How to pronounce pawn (audio)
ˈpä-;
pȯ-ˈnȯr,
pä-

Examples of pawn in a Sentence

Verb She was forced to pawn her diamond ring. he pawned his antique watch in order to pay off his gambling debt
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The only exceptions are when a thief slips up and does something dumb (like attempt to sell a distinctive rack), or when an honest antler dealer or pawn shop broker calls in a suspicious item. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 29 Feb. 2024 The filming devices in the home establish a panopticon where the husband and children are pawns in an advertising campaign for the woman’s self-image. Abigail Anthony, National Review, 11 Feb. 2024 Politicians are blatantly targeting trans people, using them as political pawns, and running political campaigns that leverage fear tactics to rob them of basic rights and dignity. Sarah Kate Ellis, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2023 Shops and pawn dealers in the program represent about 3% of the roughly 80,000 licensees nationwide. Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024 He was additionally charged with two more counts — identity theft and making false information — stemming from a 2022 pawn ticket incident. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024 As DeSantis takes the national stage, Marvin Dunn, a professor emeritus at Florida International University, said some of the most vulnerable people on campus, like Black and LGBTQ faculty and students, have become pawns in a political game. Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024 The Palestinian people are pawns, props in a local, regional, and global game that puts their real interests last. Danielle Pletka, National Review, 8 Feb. 2024 Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, received millions of dollars to represent a Russian pawn, Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych. Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2024
Verb
Also taken during that particular burglary was an iPhone that Madden pawned the next day, the documents show. Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2023 Others turned to selling possessions (21%) or pawning items (16%). Rodney Williams, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2023 But the people who steal guns and other valuables to quickly pawn for cash aren’t typically the same people pulling the trigger, Diaz said. Sara Jean Green, Anchorage Daily News, 9 July 2023 Arthur then passes out face-first in a puddle and flips Barry a ring, telling him to pawn it off and use the money to get him another drink. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 16 June 2023 There’s the sound of many feet / Passing by, or faltering / Where three golden balls, aswing / Lure the borrower to pawn / Treasures till the last is gone: / Pistol, gun, a watch or clock, / Lacquer box with silver lock, / Shaving mug, a wedding ring, / Curling iron, a water wing. Dallasnews.com Staff, Dallas News, 15 June 2023 The same two witnesses now said Myers was the one who pawned the VCR for crack. Ivana Hrynkiw | Ihrynkiw@al.com, al, 26 Jan. 2023 In the summer of 2020, the comedian bought a brand-new Rolex, then pawned it at a steep discount to get some hands on some quick cash. Alison Herman, Variety, 25 Apr. 2023 Pap pawned Tedra's wedding ring to buy a freezer for the restaurant. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pawn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English powne, paun, borrowed from Anglo-French poun, paun, peoun "person traveling on foot, pawn in chess" (continental Old French also peon, pion "foot soldier"), going back to Late Latin pedōn-, pedō "person with flat feet, person going on foot" (Medieval Latin, "foot soldier") from Latin ped-, pēs foot entry 1 + -ōn-, -ō, suffix of nouns denoting persons with a prominent characteristic

Note: Anglo-French poun, paun reflects northern or eastern French dialects, where metaphony of the original pretonic front vowel has apparently resulted in a back vowel—unlike central French, where /ɛ/ was raised to /i/ and later lost syllabicity (hence Modern French pion). In Middle English—in at least the realization that has survived in Modern English—the vowel nucleus fell in with the au diphthong that arose from French an- plus a dental consonant. Compare pioneer entry 1, peon.

Noun (2)

Middle English pawyn, paun, borrowed from Middle French (Walloon, French Flanders) pan "pledge, surety," probably borrowed from one or more Germanic words, as Middle Dutch and Middle Low German pant "security, pledge," going back to West Germanic *panda- (whence also Old Frisian pand, pond "surety," Old Saxon pand, Old High German pfant), of uncertain origin

Note: The vowel of the Modern English word reflects an earlier diphthong that is the regular Anglo-French outcome of -an- plus a dental consonant, though textual evidence for pan in Anglo-French appears to be lacking. In Scots the word is attested as pawnd in 1431, several decades earlier than the first attestations in England, and forms with a final d still are found in Scotland in the eighteenth century. The earliest and apparently the sole Medieval Latin evidence for pandum in Britain is also in a Scottish text, from the twelfth century. As pan "pledge" in medieval French is identical with pan "piece of cloth, tail of a shirt" (see pane), it has been claimed that they are the same word, a piece of cloth having served as the token of a surety given to a creditor; the Germanic words would then have been borrowed from French. This would leave the final -t/-d of the Germanic words unexplained, however. Moreover, the Germanic words are attested earlier—eighth century for Old High German pfant, eleventh century for Old Saxon pand—while the French word is apparently first attested in 1214 (per Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch), and from regions (French Flanders, Hainaut, Lorraine) in contact with Germanic speakers. The source of the Germanic word is uncertain—see discussion in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen. If the word was a borrowing of Latin pondus "weight" (see pound entry 1), it must have taken place at a very early date, before the separation of a and o by quantity in proto-Germanic.

Verb

derivative of pawn entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1566, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pawn was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pawn

Cite this Entry

“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pawn. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pawn

1 of 3 noun
ˈpȯn How to pronounce pawn (audio)
ˈpän
1
: the piece of least value in the game of chess
2
: one that can be used to further the purposes of another

pawn

2 of 3 noun
1
: something given as a guarantee of repayment of a loan
2
: the state of being pledged
the watch was in pawn

pawn

3 of 3 verb
: to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan
pawn a watch
pawner noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English pown "chess piece representing an ordinary soldier," from early French peoun, paun (same meaning), from Latin pedon-, pedo "foot soldier," derived from earlier ped-, pes "foot" — related to pedestrian

Noun

Middle English paun "something given as a guarantee of repayment of a loan"

Legal Definition

pawn

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a pledge and transfer of possession of movable or personal property to a creditor which gives the creditor the privilege of satisfying the debt from the property (as by selling it) if the debt is not repaid within a specified time
also : the property pledged
shall not take as a pawn any workman's tools
compare antichresis
b
: the state of being so pledged or burdened by such a pledge
goods held in pawn
2
: the act of pawning

pawn

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to put (personal or movable property) in pawn
when it is redeemed by the person who pawned it
compare hypothecate
pawner noun
or pawnor
same or pȯ-ˈnȯr

More from Merriam-Webster on pawn

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