own
pronunciation
How to pronounce own in British English:
UK [əʊn]
How to pronounce own in American English:
US [oʊn]
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- Verb:
- have ownership or possession of
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- Adjective:
- belonging to or on behalf of a specified person (especially yourself); preceded by a possessive
Word Origin
- own
- own: [OE] The adjective own originated as the past participle of *aigan, the prehistoric Germanic ancestor of English owe. Its original form was *aiganaz, which has produced German and Dutch eigen and Swedish and Danish egen as well as English own. The verb own is a derivative of the adjective.=> owe
- own (adj.)
- Old English agen "one's own," literally "possessed by," from Proto-Germanic *aigana- "possessed, owned" (cognates: Old Saxon egan, Old Frisian egin, Old Norse eiginn, Dutch eigen, German eigen "own"), from past participle of PIE *aik- "to be master of, possess," source of Old English agan "to have" (see owe).
- own (v.)
- c. 1200, ouen, "to possess, have; rule, be in command of, have authority over;" from Old English geagnian, from root agan "to have, to own" (see owe), and in part from the adjective own (q.v.). It became obsolete after c. 1300, but was revived early 17c., in part as a back-formation of owner (mid-14c.), which continued. From c. 1300 as "to acknowledge, admit as a fact," said especially of things to one's disadvantage. To own up "make full confession" is from 1853. Related: Owned; owning.
Synonym
Antonym
Example
- 1. We create our own reality .
- 2. You make your own hours .
- 3. Be your own independent person .
- 4. It has its own problems .
- 5. My own experience proves that .