lien
/ˈliːən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.20 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A right to take possession of a debtor’s property as security until a debt or duty is discharged.
Example Sentences
- "[…] every youth movement presents itself as loan to the future, and tries to call in its lien in advance, but when there is no future all loans are canceled."
- "Bodin deemed the king of France's power as absolute in the sense that the ruler was ‘absolved’ by divine sanction from legally binding liens and restrictions."
- "In fact, an 1847 state medical convention in Alambama issued a recommendation that doctors caring for slaves seek liens upon the human chattel if their bills were not paid."
- "And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done vnto vs? one of the people might lightly haue lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest haue brought guiltinesse vpon vs.”"
- "And the Priest shall charge her by an othe, and say vnto the woman, If no man haue lyen with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to vncleannesse with another in stead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse."
- "Li'enal. Pertaining to the lien or spleen; splenic."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *leyǵ-, ligāmen
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
Homonyms
lean (