The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Loan \Loan\, n. [OE. lone, lane, AS. l[=a]n, l[ae]n, fr. le['i]n
   to lend; akin to D. leen loan, fief, G. lehen fief, Icel.
   l[=a]n, G. leihen to lend, OHG. l[imac]han, Icel. lj[imac],
   Goth. leihwan, L. linquere to leave, Gr. lei`pein, Skr. ric.
   [root]119. Cf. Delinquent, Eclipse, Eleven, Ellipse,
   Lend, License, Relic.]
   1. The act of lending; a lending; permission to use; as, the
      loan of a book, money, services.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. That which one lends or borrows, especially a sum of money
      lent at interest; as, he repaid the loan.
      [1913 Webster]

   Loan office.
      (a) An office at which loans are negotiated, or at which
          the accounts of loans are kept, and the interest paid
          to the lender.
      (b) A pawnbroker's shop.
          [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

loan office
    n 1: a shop where loans are made with personal property as
         security [syn: pawnbroker's shop, pawnshop, loan
         office]
    2: an office where loans are negotiated and repaid