I. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English bonde peasant, serf, from Old English bōnda, bunda householder, husband, from Old Norse bōndi, alteration of būandi, from present participle of būa to live, dwell, have a household — more at bower
obsolete : bondman
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English bonde, from bonde, n.
: being in a state of serfdom, servitude, or slavery : bound
by one spirit are we all baptized into one body … whether we be bond or free — 1 Cor 12:13(Authorized Version)
III. ˈbänd noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English band, bond — more at band
1.
a. : something that confines or restrains (as a fetter or chain) : shackle — usually used in plural
you may chain the law down with all manner of clamps and bonds — B.N.Cardozo
b. archaic : imprisonment , confinement — usually used in plural
2. : an agreement binding one or more parties
a bond between two governments to aid each other in war
: covenant , charter
the principles of friendship and ethics as espoused in the bond of Phi Delta Theta — P.F.Connolly
3.
a. : a hoop, band, or cord used to hold something down or together (as wheat, fagots, thatch)
master the trick of tying the sheaf with its bond — H.E.Bates
b. : a piece of building material (as a timber, brick, stone) that serves to bind or unite
c. : a device for binding together the armor or lead sheaths of two or more adjacent cables or for anchoring a cable to the earth
d. : a conductor that provides a continuous path for electric current between adjacent metal parts of a structure: as
(1) : a conductor between the abutting rails of a track
(2) : the connection between water mains and gas mains
(3) : the grounded return of an electric railway system
e. : a mechanism by means of which atoms, ions, or groups of atoms are held together in a molecule or crystal, being usually represented in chemical formulas by a line, a dot, or a pair of dots or lines denoting paired electrons — called also link, linkage ; see covalent bond , double bond , electrostatic bond , electrovalent bond , hydrogen bond , metallic bond , triple bond , valence
f. : an adhesive that binds different ingredients together: as
(1) : a cementing material that holds abrasive grains together (as in grinding wheels) or that binds the grains to the backing in coated abrasives (as sandpaper)
(2) : the lime in silica brick
(3) : a fusible ingredient that imparts strength to fired ceramic ware
4.
a. : a uniting or binding element or force : tie
the bond of fellowship
— often used in plural
his wish to strengthen the bonds between Colombia and the U.S. — Current Biography
specifically : a linkage between a stimulus and a reaction or between one idea and an associated idea
the bond theory of learning
b. : the state, result, or an instance of being bonded (as by an adhesive) : cohesion
it is impossible to secure the proper bond of coating to metal when the slightest particle of rust is present — advt
c. : resistance to slipping (as between the major components of a structure) provided by adhesion or friction
precautions were taken to prevent bond between the concrete roadway and the structural steel beneath it so that the concrete could shorten under the compression — N.J.Sollenberger
5.
a.
(1) : a writing under seal by which a person binds himself to pay a certain sum on or before an appointed day and usually containing a condition that if the obligator shall do or abstain from doing a certain act on or before a time specified the obligation shall be void but otherwise shall remain in full force ; also : the amount of money so guaranteed — often used with give
each must give bond for his appearance before the court
— compare bail , penal sum
(2) : one who acts as bail or surety
b. : an interest-bearing document giving evidence of a long-term debt and issued by a government body or corporation sometimes secured by a lien on property and often designed to take care of a particular financial need — see callable , collateral trust bond , coupon bond , debenture , equipment bond , highway bond , registered bond , savings bond , serial bond , sinking-fund bond , tap bond
c. : an insurance agreement pledging surety for financial loss caused to another by the act or default of a third person or by some contingency over which the third person may have no control
6. : a connection or system of connections in which adjacent parts of a structure are made to overlap so as to be tied or bound together ; specifically : the systematic lapping of brick in a wall
the brickwork is unusually fine and the bond used on the south front of the house is different from that on the other sides — American Guide Series: Louisiana
— see american bond , blind bond , block-in-course bond , chain bond , cross-and-english bond, cross bond , diagonal bond , dog's-tooth bond , english bond , english cross bond , flemish bond , flying bond , herringbone bond , in-and-out bond , plumb bond , ranging bond , running bond , split bond
7. : the state of goods being manufactured, stored, or transported under the care of bonded agencies until the duties or taxes on them are paid
you may leave … tobacco in bond with customs — Richard Joseph
8. : a 100-proof straight whiskey that has been aged at least four years under government supervision before being bottled — called also bonded whiskey
9. : bond paper
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to bind or tie (a wall, a building, or various masonry units) usually by lapping one unit over another
2. : to place under the conditions of a bond: as
a. : to secure the payment of the duties and taxes on (goods or merchandise being manufactured, warehoused, or transported) by giving a bond
b. : to mortgage or issue bonds secured by mortgage upon (property)
c. : to convert into a debt secured by bonds
d. : to give or secure an option upon (as a mine or other property) by a bond tying up the property till the option has expired
e. : to provide a bond (sense 5c) for or cause to provide such a bond
bond a trustee
bond an employee
bond an official
3. : to bind together or connect by or as if by bonds: as
a. : to cause to adhere firmly (as metal to glass or plastic)
b. : to make secure and adequate electrical connection between (two or more conductors) either to ensure free passage of current
a railroad track with bonded joints
or to maintain uniformity of electric potential (as of water and gas piping or the sheaths of electric cables) — compare bond III 3d
c. : to embed in a matrix
abrasive material bonded in a resinous binder to form a grinding wheel
— compare bond III 3f
d. : to hold together in a molecule or crystal by means of chemical bonds
intransitive verb
: to hold together or solidify by or as if by means of a bond or a binder
a cement failing to make materials bond
specifically : to cohere (as the fibers in paper, the coating of the surface of paper, the elements in laminated board)
the coatings bond tightly to many surfaces — Graphic Arts Monthly
• bond·a·ble -dəbəl adjective