Question

I am colaborating with in an Information and Technologies supplier/outsourcing and they use words in the wrong way, welll, that is my perception:

Populate instead of fill in the blanks

Or "loan" instead of borrow or lend (with their different actions:taking or just giving), to me "loan" is only for monetary purposes..

Answer 1

I descibe it to you as I was told on my English classes:

"Loan" is something given (somebody's possession given another person) => another person BORROWS

"To be on loan" - to be given => TO BE LENT, verb - LENT STH

It is also:

LENT - person has something and gives it to the second one (one direction)

BORROW - person doesn't have required thing and asks for this, she/he borrows (one direction, too)

LOAN - two directions: exact loan / be on loan.

 

Loan isn't only for monetary purposes, but it is mainly used in banks for shares, bills, crucial stuff. You won't tell I want pencil, loan me, but pencil may be on loan I think.

Answer 2

In the world of IT, "populate" means "to add data", for instance to a database. If you were completing a paper form, you couldn't say this, you would have to "fill it in".

"Loan" varies in usage: for me, it's primarily a noun - you can "loan somebody something", but I don't like it. I would lend it, instead (and the thing that had been lent would be "on loan" to the other person). Loan does not refer exclusively to financial things, regardless of whether you are using it as a noun or verb. Except for bank loans, when you pay the bank for the privilege of borrowing the money, loan/lend suggests that there is no cost, for instance if a friend or relative lent you something. If you had an agreement with a company to use a car that didn't belong to you for instance, and were paying them to use it, this is rental agreement, not a loan agreement.