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Glite Dictionary
borrower's card

borrower's card

3.0
A card that lets you take books and other items out of a library for a short time
  • noun
  • /ˈbɔːroʊərz kɑrd/
  • UK
translation icon : tarjeta de préstamo
  • You need to show your borrower's card to check out the books.

Examples

  • Make sure to take your borrower's card with you when you visit the library.

  • After signing up at the library, I received my first borrower's card.

  • Oh, you stamp the borrower's card.

    The Mayor of Hell (1933)

Synonyms

library card
vsborrower's card
18 1.0

A small official card that lets you borrow books and use library services

is only for proving the right to take out books and other materials

Surface Forms

borrower's card singular
borrowers' cards plural
borrower's cards plural

Morphology

borrower's + card

The meaning is directly derivable from 'borrower's' (the possessive form of 'borrower', a person who borrows) combined with 'card' (a small identification or entitlement card). This possessive+noun construction is a regular, compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer that it denotes a library card for borrowers.

Etymology

Borrower's card comes from a simple library picture: a borrower, a reader, had a small card with their name and loan record. That card showed the person could 'borrow' or 'check out' books, so today borrower's card means the card that gives the right to borrow library items.