loan
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loan
An object that is lent to another person or institution for a certain period of time, especially to a museum for an exhibition.
Das berühmte Gemälde ist eine Leihgabe aus dem Louvre und nur für drei Monate hier zu sehen.
The famous painting is a loan from the Louvre and can only be seen here for three months.
'Leihgabe' (loan) is a compound noun made up of 'leihen' (to lend/borrow something for a time) and 'Gabe' (something given, gift). So it is literally a 'lent gift'.
Das Museum ist stolz, diese wertvolle Leihgabe präsentieren zu dürfen.
The museum is proud to be able to present this valuable loan.
To name the origin of a loan, you use the preposition 'aus' (from), e.g. 'eine Leihgabe aus einem Museum' (a loan from a museum). The recipient is named with the preposition 'an' (to), e.g. 'eine Leihgabe an eine Galerie' (a loan to a gallery).
Die Skulptur ist eine Leihgabe aus einer privaten Sammlung.
The sculpture is a loan from a private collection.
The word is used almost exclusively in the context of museums, exhibitions, libraries, and archives. Typical loans are works of art, historical documents, or archaeological finds.
Für die Sonderausstellung hat das Museum mehrere Leihgaben von internationalen Partnern erhalten.
For the special exhibition, the museum received several loans from international partners.
loan
'das Darlehen' and 'die Leihgabe' both have to do with something being lent or borrowed. The difference is what is being lent. A 'Darlehen' is money that you receive for a certain period of time and have to pay back. A 'Leihgabe' is an object that is lent for a certain period of time, often to a museum or for an exhibition. Learners may confuse the words because both come from the idea of lending. For money, you say 'Darlehen'; for a lent object, you say 'Leihgabe'.
Die alte Vase ist eine Leihgabe und bleibt nur drei Monate im Museum.
The old vase is on loan and will stay in the museum for only three months.
Die Gruppe nimmt ein Darlehen auf, um die neue Technik zu kaufen.
The group takes out a loan to buy the new equipment.