Definition

1. Noun:
   • A legal claim or right to hold another's property until a debt owed by that person is discharged: In law, a lien is a security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation. The property itself is held as collateral.
   • An organ in the body; the spleen: This is an archaic or highly specialized anatomical term for the spleen, a large lymphoid organ involved in filtering blood and immune responses. This usage is now rare in modern English.

Usage

• Legal Sense: The term "lien" is primarily used in legal and financial contexts to describe a creditor's right over a debtor's property.
• Anatomical Sense: The use of "lien" to mean spleen is largely obsolete in everyday language and is found primarily in historical or very specific medical texts.

Examples

• Legal Sense:
  • The bank placed a lien on the house because the mortgage payments were not made.
  • The mechanic has a lien on the car until the repair bill is paid.
• Anatomical Sense (Archaic):
  • The old medical text described an injury to the lien.

Advanced Usage

• "To have a lien on/against something": To possess the legal right to hold property as security.
  • The contractor filed to have a lien against the property for unpaid work.
• "To place/put a lien on something": To formally establish a legal claim on property.
  • The court ordered a lien to be placed on the debtor's assets.

Variants and Related Words

• Lienor (n): The party who holds or benefits from a lien (the creditor).
• Lienee (n): The party whose property is subject to a lien (the debtor).
• Lienable (adj): Describing property that can legally have a lien placed upon it.

Synonyms

• Legal Sense: Charge, encumbrance, security interest, claim, right of retention.
• Anatomical Sense: Spleen (the standard modern term).

Related Phrases

• Tax lien: A lien imposed by a government to secure the payment of taxes.
  • The IRS filed a tax lien for unpaid income taxes.
• Mechanic's lien: A lien securing payment for work done on a property or item.
  • The carpenter filed a mechanic's lien to ensure payment for the renovation.
• Judgment lien: A lien imposed on property following a court judgment.
  • The lawsuit resulted in a judgment lien on the defendant's bank account.

Notes

• The anatomical meaning of "lien" is considered archaic. In all modern contexts, especially legal, financial, and general English, "lien" refers exclusively to the legal right over property.
• The word does not commonly form phrasal verbs or idioms outside of the specific legal phrases listed above.

Noun

1. a large dark-red oval organ on the left side of the body between the stomach and the diaphragm; produces cells involved in immune responses
2. the right to take another's property if an obligation is not discharged