borried
Borrowed — the Southern way of saying you took it with a promise to bring it back.
Also called borry'd, borrowed.
Updated September 21, 2026
borried pronunciation
/BOR-eed/
Meaning
Past tense of borrow, written the way many Southern and Appalachian mouths say it. The second syllable leans toward ee instead of oh. Same meaning as borrowed: you got temporary use of a tool, a cup of sugar, or a twenty. Related talk forms include borry for borrow.
How folks use it
- “I borried Uncle Jim's post-hole digger and ain't hauled it back yet.”
- “She borried a cup of sugar and brought over half a cake the next day.”
Origin and etymology
Pronunciation spelling of borrowed. Dictionary of American Regional English records borry and kin forms chiefly in the South and South Midland (and parts of New England). Mark Twain wrote borry'd in Huckleberry Finn. Tennessee mountain dialect notes also list borrow sounding like barr or bahrry. The vowels shifted; the meaning stayed put.
Frequently asked questions
Is borried a misspelling?
In school writing, yes. In dialect, it is how the word sounds when folks say it natural.