*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pawn

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

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The state of being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge. · An instance of pawning something. · An item given as security on a loan, or as a pledge. · A pawnshop; pawnbroker.

verb

To pledge; to stake or wager. · To give as security on a loan of money; especially, to deposit (something) at a pawn shop.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionpaunenm
  • Derivation mentionpanfro
  • Cognate mentionPoundstq · deposit, pledge, pawn
  • Cognate mentionpânfy · pawn
  • Cognate mentionpandnl · pledge, pawn
  • Cognate mentionPfandde · deposit, pledge, pawn
  • Cognate mentionpantsv · pledge, pawn
  • Cognate mentionpanturfo · security, lien
  • Cognate mentionpanturis · pledge, security, pawn
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+broker"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "paun"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English paun"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "pan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French pan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*pand",
        "t": "deposit, security, pledge"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *pand (“deposit, security, pledge”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "further origin uncertain"
      },
      "expansion": "further origin uncertain"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Pound",
        "t": "deposit, pledge, pawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Pound (“deposit, pledge, pawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "pân",
        "t": "pawn"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian pân (“pawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "pand",
        "t": "pledge, pawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch pand (“pledge, pawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "Pand",
        "t": "deposit, pledge, pawn"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German Pand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Pfand",
        "t": "deposit, pledge, pawn"
      },
      "expansion": "German Pfand (“deposit, pledge, pawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "pant",
        "t": "pledge, pawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish pant (“pledge, pawn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo",
        "2": "pantur",
        "t": "security, lien"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese pantur (“security, lien”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "pantur",
        "t": "pledge, security, pawn"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic pantur (“pledge, security, pawn”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "paun",
      "paun#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pawyn",
      "pawyn#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pawnd",
      "pawnd#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pan",
      "pan#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "pant",
      "pant#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "*pand",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/pand"
    ],
    [
      "Pound",
      "Pound#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "pân",
      "pân#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "pand",
      "pand#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Pand",
      "Pand#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "Pfand",
      "Pfand#German"
    ],
    [
      "pant",
      "pant#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "pantur",
      "pantur#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "pantur",
      "pantur#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The state of being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge.",
        "An instance of pawning something.",
        "An item given as security on a loan, or as a pledge.",
        "A pawnshop; pawnbroker."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "countable",
        "archaic",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "eae103bee0fb13587d5ae250237352a2bd5116fb01b80171f50ff94d7b7d26e4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b2ac35293ab9306507e9b0348a429055b02c14f29b4fabb6808aa6ae105a9e71",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 38126
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To pledge; to stake or wager.",
        "To give as security on a loan of money; especially, to deposit (something) at a pawn shop."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "fbd40e78097ee95f47a67246cb30f06725c54f0e3e3762573b5cc6e5f2715e20",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8f1209b258c7adc9c7b2214984a4e95c567cea234060ccd22b861836ead3b46c",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

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. · A person being manipulated by another, being used to some end.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*ped-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentionpownenm
  • Derivation mentionpesla · foot
  • Doublet mentionpeonen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ped-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (chess)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "pown"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English pown"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "peon",
        "4": "poun, paun",
        "t": "footman"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman poun, paun (“footman”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "pedo",
        "4": "pedōnem",
        "t": "pedestrian"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin pedōnem (“pedestrian”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "pes",
        "4": "ped-",
        "t": "foot"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ped- (“foot”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "peon"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of peon"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pown",
      "pown#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "poun, paun",
      "peon#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "pedōnem",
      "pedo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ped-",
      "pes#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "peon",
      "peon#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "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.",
        "A person being manipulated by another, being used to some end."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "recordId": "fd7bc6e4920b183e431413463475f34a9c0054de933249f25883f5f1e7f2cda7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dc3df10e184385e977a80faf26078faedaf491deb46731ac793dc9defe634457",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for pawn →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cGF3bg