Meaning

7 senses

  1. (uncountable)The state of being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge.

    All our jewellery was in pawn by this stage.

    Pfandleiher, Pfandhaus, Leihhaus

    ломба́рдlombárd

    borrowing and leaving an article as security for repayment of the loan

  2. (countable, uncountable)An instance of pawning something.

    Verpfändung

  3. (countable, rare, uncountable)A pawnshop; pawnbroker.

  4. The most numerous chess piece, or a similar piece in a similar game. In chess, each side starts with eight; moves are only forward, and attacks are only diagonally or en passant.

    Bauer

    пе́шкаpéška

    піша́кpišák

    (chess) the least powerful piece; moves only forward and captures only to the side; it can be promoted to a more powerful piece if it reaches the 8th rank

  5. (idiomatic)A person being manipulated by another, being used to some end.

    Near-synonym: chess piece

    Though a pawn of the gods, her departure is the precipitating cause of the Trojan War.

    Schachfigur

    пе́шкаpéška

    a person used by another to gain an end

  6. A gallery.

  7. (archaic, countable, uncountable)An item given as security on a loan, or as a pledge.

    Pfand, Versatzstück

Examples

104 sentences

  1. Tom works at a pawn shop.

    Том працює в ломбарді. — Anjy

    ruТом работает в ломбарде. — marafon

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. I pawned my guitar in order to pay the rent.

    Я здав гітару в ломбард, щоб заплатити за квартиру. — deniko

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. I pawned my guitar to pay the rent.

    Я здав гітару в ломбард, щоб заплатити за квартиру. — deniko

    ruЯ заложил гитару, чтобы оплатить аренду. — Ooneykcall

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · Scott · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Pawns only move forward.

    Пішки ходять лише вперед. — miketheknight

    ruПешки ходят только вперёд. — marafon

    deBauern können sich nur nach vorne bewegen. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. We're all pawns.

    Ми всі пішки. — deniko

    ruМы все пешки. — marafon

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · sacredceltic · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
chess piece:
Русский
By meaning 2
(rare) type of shop — see also pawnshop:
chess piece:
Deutsch
By meaning 5
(rare) type of shop — see also pawnshop:
instance of pawning something:
item sold to a pawn shop:
chess piece:
someone who is being manipulated:

Origin

From Middle English paun, pawyn, pawnd, from Old French pan, pant (“pledge for a payment”)

From Middle English paun, pawyn, pawnd, from Old French pan, pant (“pledge for a payment”), from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *pand (“deposit, security, pledge”), further origin uncertain. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Pound (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), West Frisian pân (“pawn”), Dutch pand (“pledge, pawn”), German Low German Pand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), German Pfand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”), Swedish pant (“pledge, pawn”), Faroese pantur (“security, lien”), Icelandic pantur (“pledge, security, pawn”).

From Middle English pown, from Anglo-Norman poun, paun (“footman”), from Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”), derived from Latin ped- (“foot”). Doublet of peon.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: pawns
Singularpawn
Pluralpawns

regular

Synonyms

4 synonyms
chess piece
Close in meaning

Word family

43 related words
RelatedpromotionB1pushB1holeA1en passantunderpromotionpawn racepawn stormcentipawnopen filehalf-open fileclosed file
DerivedpawnbrokerB2pawnshopB2impawnpawneepawnerpawningpawnticketadvanced pawnbackward pawnbishop's pawncentral pawnconnected pawndoubled pawnhexapawnisolated pawnking's pawnknight's pawnmillipawnoctopawnpassed pawnpawn breakpawn chainpawn cubepawn grabbing

Lessons for this word

1 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
pavilionpawB2pawnbrokerB2pawnshopB2payA1
pawn — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto