bend

bend
\ \ [OE] English band, bind, bond, and bundle are closely allied: all go back to a prehistoric Germanic base *band-. The relationship in meaning was, in the case of bend, more obvious in Old English times, when bendan meant ‘tie up’ as well as ‘curve’ (a sense preserved in the modern English noun bendknot’, as in carrick bend). The rather strange-seeming meaning development appears to have come about as follows: bend in the sense ‘tie, constrain’ was used for the pulling of bow-strings, with reference to the strain or tension thereby applied to the bow; the natural consequence of this was of course that the bow curved, and hence (although not until the late 13th century) bend came to be used for ‘curve’.
\ \ Cf.BAND, BIND, BOND, BUNDLE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Bend — Bend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bended} or {Bent}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Bending}.] [AS. bendan to bend, fr. bend a band, bond, fr. bindan to bind. See {Bind}, v. t., and cf. 3d & 4th {Bend}.] 1. To strain or move out of a straight line; to crook by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bend — bezeichnet: im Dialekt der Aachener die Bezeichnung für eine große Wiese (Grünland) eine Kurzform für das Aachener Volksfest Öcher Bend auf dem Bendplatz ein Waldgebiet in Grevenbroich, siehe Wildfreigehege Bend eine Spieltechnik bei Gitarren,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • bend — bend; bend·a·ble; bend·er; bend·let; cir·cum·bend·i·bus; per·bend; un·bend; bend·wise; bend·ways; un·bend·ing·ly; un·bend·ing·ness; …   English syllables

  • Bend — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Bend es una técnica de guitarra que consiste en tocar una cuerda y, después de que suene el inicio de esa nota, estirar la cuerda hacia arriba o abajo y mantenerla para obtener una nota más aguda. Es una técnica muy… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bend — may refer to:* Bend, Oregon, a city * Bend, an album by 8stops7 * Bend (heraldry), a colored band that runs from the upper left (as seen by the viewer) corner of the shield to the lower right * Decompression sickness, commonly the bends * The… …   Wikipedia

  • bend*/*/ — [bend] (past tense and past participle bent [bent] ) verb [I/T] I 1) to lean forwards and downwards Helen bent down to pick up her pen.[/ex] Bend over and touch your toes.[/ex] 2) to curve or fold something, or to be curved or folded Use thin… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • bend — bend1 [bend] vt. bent, bending [ME benden < OE bendan, to confine with a string (< Gmc * bandjan < * bindan > BIND); hence, to fetter, bend (a bow)] 1. Obs. to cause tension in (a bow, etc.), as by drawing with a string 2. to force… …   English World dictionary

  • Bend — Bend, n. [See {Bend}, v. t., and cf. {Bent}, n.] 1. A turn or deflection from a straight line or from the proper direction or normal position; a curve; a crook; as, a slight bend of the body; a bend in a road. [1913 Webster] 2. Turn; purpose;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bend — ► VERB (past and past part. bent) 1) give or have a curved or angled shape, form, or course. 2) lean or curve the body downwards; stoop. 3) force or be forced to give in. 4) interpret or modify (a rule) to suit oneself. 5) direct (one s attention …   English terms dictionary

  • Bend — Bend, v. i. 1. To be moved or strained out of a straight line; to crook or be curving; to bow. [1913 Webster] The green earth s end Where the bowed welkin slow doth bend. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. To jut over; to overhang. [1913 Webster] There is …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bend — Bend, n. [AS. bend. See {Band}, and cf. the preceding noun.] 1. A band. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] 2. [OF. bende, bande, F. bande. See {Band}.] (Her.) One of the honorable ordinaries, containing a third or a fifth part of the field. It… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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