loan translation: Meaning and Definition of

loan' transla"tion

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. the process whereby a compound word or expression is created by literal translation of each of the elements of a compound word or expression in another language, as marriage of convenience from French mariage de convenance.
  2. a word or expression so created. Cf. calque.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.