The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pawn \Pawn\, n.
   See Pan, the masticatory.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pawn \Pawn\, n. [OE. paune, poun, OF. peon, poon, F. pion, LL.
   pedo a foot soldier, fr. L. pes, pedis, foot. See Foot, and
   cf. Pioneer, Peon.] (Chess)
   A man or piece of the lowest rank.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pawn \Pawn\, n. [OF. pan pledge, assurance, skirt, piece, F. pan
   skirt, lappet, piece, from L. pannus. See Pane.]
   1. Anything delivered or deposited as security, as for the
      payment of money borrowed, or of a debt; a pledge. See
      Pledge, n., 1.
      [1913 Webster]

            As for mortgaging or pawning, . . . men will not
            take pawns without use [i. e., interest]. --Bacon.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. State of being pledged; a pledge for the fulfillment of a
      promise. [R.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Redeem from broking pawn the blemish'd crown.
                                                  --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

            As the morning dew is a pawn of the evening fatness.
                                                  --Donne.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A stake hazarded in a wager. [Poetic]
      [1913 Webster]

            My life I never held but as a pawn
            To wage against thy enemies.          --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   In pawn, At pawn, in the state of being pledged. "Sweet
      wife, my honor is at pawn." --Shak.

   Pawn shop, a shop where a pawnbroker does business.

   Pawn ticket, a receipt given by the pawnbroker for an
      article pledged.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Pawn \Pawn\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pawned; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Pawning.]
   1. To give or deposit in pledge, or as security for the
      payment of money borrowed; to put in pawn; to pledge; as,
      to pawn one's watch.

   Syn: hock [colloq].
        [1913 Webster]

              And pawned the last remaining piece of plate.
                                                  --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]

   2. To pledge for the fulfillment of a promise; to stake; to
      risk; to wager; to hazard.
      [1913 Webster]

            Pawning his honor to obtain his lust. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

pawn
    n 1: an article deposited as security
    2: a person used by another to gain an end [syn: instrument,
       pawn, cat's-paw]
    3: (chess) the least powerful piece; moves only forward and
       captures only to the side; it can be promoted to a more
       powerful piece if it reaches the 8th rank
    4: borrowing and leaving an article as security for repayment of
       the loan
    v 1: leave as a guarantee in return for money; "pawn your
         grandfather's gold watch" [syn: pawn, soak, hock]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

120 Moby Thesaurus words for "pawn":
   Charlie McCarthy, agent, ancilla, appliance, assurance, bail,
   bishop, bond, borrow, bottomry, castle, chance, chessman, cog,
   collateral, commonality, commonalty, contrivance, creature,
   deposit, device, dip, dummy, dupe, earnest, earnest money, escrow,
   float a loan, flunky, follower, gage, gamble, get a loan,
   get on credit, go bail, go-between, guarantee, guaranty, handmaid,
   handmaiden, handsel, hazard, hit one for, hit up, hock, hoi polloi,
   hostage, hypothecate, impignorate, implement, inferior, instrument,
   interagent, intermediary, intermediate, intermedium, jeopardize,
   junior, king, knight, lever, lightweight, lower class,
   lower orders, mainprise, man, masses, mechanism, mediator, medium,
   midwife, minion, mortgage, negotiate a loan, organ, piece, pignus,
   plaything, pledge, plight, pop, post, puppet, put in hock,
   put in pawn, put up, queen, raise money, recognizance, replevin,
   replevy, risk, rook, run into debt, second fiddle, secondary,
   security, servant, slave, spout, stake, stooge, subaltern,
   subordinate, surety, third stringer, token, token payment, tool,
   touch, toy, underling, understrapper, undertaking, vadimonium,
   vadium, vehicle, venture, warrant, yes-man



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

PAWN. A pledge. Vide Pledge.