I. ˈbend noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English bend bend, chain, fetter & Middle French bende, bande band, ring, stripe — more at band
1. obsolete : a thin flat strip (as of iron) used for strengthening
2. heraldry : a diagonal band
3. : the half of a butt or a hide trimmed of the thinner parts and containing the best quality of sole leather — see hide illustration
4. : a knot by which one rope is fastened to another or to some object
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- in bend
- in bend dexter
II. verb
( bent -nt ; or archaic bended ; bent or archaic bended ; bending ; bends )
Etymology: Middle English benden, from Old English bendan; akin to Old Norse benda to bend, Old English bend fetter — more at band
transitive verb
1.
a. : to constrain or strain to tension (as a bow)
b. archaic : to strain, brace, or bring into a tense condition
2.
a. : to turn, press, or force with stress concentrated at specific points from straight, level, or even to curved, angular, uneven, or cambered
bend a pipe
a bent glass tube
b. : to press or force back to an original straight, level, or even condition
bend a crooked bar straight again
c. : to force, prize, or crush from a proper, intended, or usable shape
he bent the can opener
3. : fasten
bend one rope to another
bend a sail to its yard
bend a cable to the ring of an anchor
4. : to make submissive : subdue
natives unwilling to be bent by colonial power
5. : to determine usually after considerable thought : resolve — used in passive and with on or upon
they were bent on self-destruction
6.
a. : to cause to turn at an angle or on a curve from a straight line, course, or pattern : deflect
bent rays emerging from a prism
b. : to guide or turn toward : direct
Tictocq bends his rapid steps in the direction of the headquarters of the Paris gendarmerie — O.Henry
Santayana bends his genius … to deal with the concrete facts of actual political life — Times Literary Supplement
c. : incline , dispose , predispose : induce a liking, inclination, or partiality or a distaste or antipathy in
ignoring other peoples and bending their minds to the Buddhist concept of eternity — Christopher Rand
d. : to influence or constrain from a usual, expected, or individual course or pattern
how society bends its individual members to function in conformity with its needs — A.N.Whitehead
7.
a. obsolete : to direct (as a weapon) with hostile intent
b. : to direct strenuously or with interest
bend their efforts to the task
: apply
bent themselves to the work at hand
c. Scotland : drink , guzzle
intransitive verb
1. : to curve over or away from a vertical line or position ; specifically : to incline the body often in token of submission or reverence
bent to the queen
2.
a. : to move out of a straight line : be or become curving : crook , bow
trees bending under the weight of snow
b. : to have a direction or inclination away from a straight line : curve , trend
beyond the rocks the coastline bent west
3. archaic : to direct oneself : take one's course : turn
4. : incline , lean , tend
an individual who always bends toward his own tastes
5. : to work vigorously
sailors bending to the oars
6. Scotland : to drink hard
Synonyms: see curve
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- bend an ear
- bend one's ear
- bend over backward
III. ˈbend noun
( -s )
1.
a. : the act or action of bending
a quick bend of the body
b. : the quality or state of being bent or curved
the graceful bends of Gothic windows
2. : something that is bent or curved: as
a. : a curved part of a stream, lake, inlet, or coastline
b. : the thickest and strongest planks in the sides of a wooden ship : wales — usually used in plural
c. : a curved piece of pipe
d. : the part of a fishhook lying between the shank and the barb
3. bends plural but singular or plural in construction : caisson disease , aeroembolism ; specifically : the form of aeroembolism that is marked by intense pain in muscles and joints due to formation of gas bubbles in the tissues — usually used with preceding the
4. : the distance between a bow braced ready for use and its string
5. : a stylistic effect produced by varying the pitch of a sustained note and commonly employed by brass-wind instruments in jazz bands
IV. ˈbē|end noun
Usage: usually capitalized B
: the end of a railway car on which the hand brake is located