a word adopted, often with some modification of its form, from one language into another
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
loan•word /ˈloʊnˌwɜrd/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Linguisticsa word in one language that has been borrowed from another language and usually changed to fit the new language, as macho, taken into Modern English from Spanish.
loan•word,
(lōn′wûrd′),USA pronunciation n.
- Linguisticsa word in one language that has been borrowed from another language and usually naturalized, as wine, taken into Old English from Latin vinum, or macho, taken into Modern English from Spanish.
- translation of German Lehnwort 1870–75
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'loanword' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):