Impawn
/ɪmˈpɔːn/noun
To pledge or pawn something as security, especially for a debt or promise.
Did you know?Impawn is an older, legal-sounding form built on the same pawn as *pawnshop*—from a word once tied to a pledge or security, not the chess piece.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bha-
“to speak, tell”
Late Latin
Latin
pignus
“pledge, security, hostage”
Old French
Old French
pan
“pledge, security”
Middle English
English
impawnen
“to pledge as security; to pawn”
Modern English
English
impawn
“to pawn or pledge as security”