pawn

noun

/pɔːn/

Idioms

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a chess piece of the smallest size and least value. Each player has eight pawns at the start of a game.
- He had to sacrifice another pawn.
Topics Games and toysc2
a person or group whose actions are controlled by more powerful people
- The hostages are being used as political pawns.
- The prince became a pawn in the game of power politics.

Word Originnoun late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French poun, from medieval Latin pedo, pedon- ‘foot soldier’, from Latin pes, ped- ‘foot’. Compare with peon.

Idioms

in pawn

if something is in pawn, it has been pawned
- All her jewellery was in pawn.

pawn

verb

/pɔːn/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they pawn	/pɔːn/ /pɔːn/
he / she / it pawns	/pɔːnz/ /pɔːnz/
past simple pawned	/pɔːnd/ /pɔːnd/
past participle pawned	/pɔːnd/ /pɔːnd/
-ing form pawning	/ˈpɔːnɪŋ/ /ˈpɔːnɪŋ/

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pawn something to leave an object with a pawnbroker in exchange for money. The object is returned to the owner if he or she pays back the money within an agreed period of time. If not, it can be sold.
Word Originverb late 15th cent. (as a noun): from Old French pan ‘pledge, security’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch pand and German Pfand.