TREND

I. intransitive verb Etymology: Middle English, to turn, revolve, from Old English ~an; akin to Middle High German ~el disk, spinning top Date: 1598 1. to extend in a general direction ; follow a general course , to veer in a new direction ; bend , 2. to show a tendency ; incline , to become deflected ; shift , II. noun Date: circa 1777 a line of general direction or movement , 2. a prevailing tendency or inclination ; drift , a general movement ; swing , a current style or preference ; vogue , a line of development ; approach , the general movement over time of a statistically detectable change, see: tendency