Obs. exc. Hist. Forms: 1 borʓ, 1–3 borh, 2–4 borȝ, (3 barh), 3–4 boru, borewe, 4 borou, Sc. borwch, (bourgh), 4–5 borwe, 4–7 borow(e, borgh(e, 5 Sc. borch(e, (brugh, borough), 6 boro, borge, (Sc. broche), 6–7 borrowe, 6–7, 9 borrow, (9 Hist. borh, borch). [OE. borʓ, borh str. masc., = MHG. borc, borg, Du. borg pledge, loan, f. root of OTeut. *berg-an str. vb. to protect: see BERGH v. Sense 4 is f. BORROW v.1]
† 1. A thing deposited as security, a pledge; a guarantee, bail; suretyship; ransom, deliverance. To borrow: as a pledge. To lay to borrow: to put in pledge, to pawn. In senses 1 and 2 already obsolete or archaic in England in Spenser’s time; but retained in Sc. Law.
a. 975. Thorpe’s Laws, I. 274 (Bosw.). Ic wille, ðæt ælc mann sy under borʓe.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 73. Heore godfaderes and heore godmoderes scullen … beo in borȝes et þe fonstan.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 23792. Þat soru, Þat nakins borgh us fra mai boru.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 625. Thar-till in-to borwch draw I Myn herytage.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 2105. Hauyth here of myn herte blod to borwe If that ye wele.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 764. Ech of hem hadde leyd his feith to borwe.
c. 1460. Sir Penny, vii. 5. Withouten brugh & wed.
1542–3. Act 34–35 Hen. VIII., xxvii. § 58. Pledges or borows to pay the kinges fine.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., May, 150. Nay … by my deare borrow [gloss. that is our Saviour, the commen pledge of all men’s debts to death].
1631. Rutherford, Lett., 19 (1862), I. 80. It cannot stand with His honour to die in the borrows (as we use to say) and lose thee.
1814. Scott, Wav., I. xv. 228. [They] concussed them into giving borrows (pledges), to enter into captivity again.
1860. C. Innes, Scotl. Mid. Ages, 184. If a thief could find no borch he was hanged.
† b. Hence in OE. and early ME. On, to borrow: on security, by way of loan. Obs.
a. 900. Thorpe’s Laws, I. 52 (Bosw.). Gif ðu feoh to borʓe selle.
c. 975. Rushw. Gosp., Matt. v. 42. Þæm þe wille on borʓ nioma æt þe ne beo unʓeþwære.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6144. Fra þis folk … Þe folk of israel to boru Asked silueren vessel … And clathes.
1418. in Jeffrey, Hist. Roxburghsh., IV. i. 89. The Earl not having occupied the land, let the same ‘to borch’ to the abbot on May 1418.
† 2. Of persons: A surety, hostage; bail, deliverer from prison. Obs.
a. 1000. Laws of Æthelred, i. I. in Thorpe’s Laws, 119. Sette ʓetreowe borʓas.
a. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 17. Here godfaderes sullen … ben here boreȝes toȝenes Gode.
c. 1205. Lay., 31077. Ich wulle his on barh beon [c. 1275 borh].
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, 497. Answere for me, that is, be borgh of myn amendynge.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., VII. 81. For beggeres borwen euermo and her borghe is god almyȝti.
1470. Harding, Chron., ccxix. iv. 4. I shalbe youre borowe.
a. 1541. Wyatt, De profundis, Ps. cxxx. From depth of death … Thee have I called, O Lord, to be my borrow.
1552. Abp. Hamilton, Catech., 190. The godfather and godmother … ar maid borrowis or souerteis for the barne.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., 8. He may recover the possession of the lands, he findand ane borghe.
1819. Scott, Ivanhoe, II. x. 176. Retain as borrows my two priests.
† b. I dare be borrow, etc.: ‘I’ll warrant,’ ‘I’ll be bound.’ Obs.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (1840), 41. The womman was woo, I dare be borwe.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 231. I shall be his borghe to-yere He felys no more payn.
† c. To find (take) God, Mahoun, St. Blase, St. George, etc., to borrow, i.e., as security for one’s truth, good faith, or honor; later as an asseveration = In God’s name, By St. George, St. George to speed! St. John to borrow! a Scotch formula at parting (= au revoir), as to the origin of which see quot. 1470. Obs.
a. 1330. Otuel, 305. Ich wole finde mahoun to borwe, Ich wile be redi erliche to morwe.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sqrs. T., 596. I hidde fro hym my sorwe And took hym by the hond, seint John to borwe.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 34. But I dare take God to borwe.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., xxiii. With mony ‘fare wele’ and ‘sanct Iohne to borowe.’
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, III. 336. Thar leyff thai tuk, with conforde … Sanct Ihone to borch, thai suld meyt haille agayne.
1529. Skelton, Albany, 506. Sainct George to borrowe, Ye shall have schame and sorrowe.
1530. Lyndesay, Test. Papyngo, 701. We sall … mak ȝow saif: we fynd sanct Blase to borgh.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 519. All salbe weill, I find ȝow God to borrow.
1548. Hall, Chron. (1809), 416. Now sent George to borowe, let us set forward.
1566. Udall, Royster D., IV. viii. 77. What then? Sainct George to borow, our Ladies Knight.
3. Hist. (usually with obs. spelling.) A friðborh (lit. ‘pledge of peace’) or tithing, which in early England was an association of ten neighboring householders who were jointly answerable before the law, ‘so that if one of the ten men offend, the other nine may bring him to right’; afterwards called liberum plegium and FRANK-PLEDGE, the word frið ‘peace’ having been corrupted into ‘free.’ There is no direct evidence that in OE. borh was used as = friðborh, but in 16th c. borowe appears as a synonym of ‘tithing’ or ‘frank-pledge,’ and from that period to the present time many writers have confused it with BOROUGH, Cf. BORROWHEAD, BORSHOLDER.
1581. Lambarde, Eiren., I. iii. (1588), 15. The chiefe men of the free pledges within that Borow or Tithing.
1872. E. Robertson, Hist. Ess., 119. Every Borowe or Tything.
4. A borrowing. rare–1.
1611. Shaks., Wint. T., I. ii. 39. Of your Royall presence, Ile adventure The borrow of a Weeke.
5. Comb. and Attrib., as (in sense 1) borrow-breach (only Hist., OE. borh-bryce), breach of covenant; borrow-roll (Sc. borgh-row), a mortgage-roll. Also BORROWGAGE, BORROWGANG, BORROW-HEAD, BORROWHOOD, BORSHOLDER.
a. 900. K. Ælfred, Laws, iii. in Thorpe’s Laws, 28 (title), Be Borʓ-bryce. Ibid. Ærcebiscepes borʓes-bryce … ʓebete mid þrim pundum.
c. 1550. Sir J. Balfour, Practicks (1754), 38. The Serjand aucht to present attachiamentis and borghrowis that ar fundin in his handis.
1844. Lingard, Anglo-Sax. Ch. (1858), II. i. 7. ‘The bot of borhbryce,’ or penalty for breach of covenant.
