bond 1
— bondable , adj. — bondability , n. — bonder , n. — bondless , adj.
/bond/ , n.
1. something that binds, fastens, confines, or holds together.
2. a cord, rope, band, or ligament.
3. something that binds a person or persons to a certain circumstance or line of behavior: the bond of matrimony.
4. something, as an agreement or friendship, that unites individuals or peoples into a group; covenant: the bond between nations.
5. binding security; firm assurance: My word is my bond.
6. a sealed instrument under which a person, corporation, or government guarantees to pay a stated sum of money on or before a specified day.
7. any written obligation under seal.
8. Law. a written promise of a surety.
9. Govt. the state of dutiable goods stored without payment of duties or taxes until withdrawn: goods in bond.
10. Also called bonded whiskey . a whiskey that has been aged at least four years in a bonded warehouse before bottling.
11. Finance. a certificate of ownership of a specified portion of a debt due to be paid by a government or corporation to an individual holder and usually bearing a fixed rate of interest.
12. Insurance.
a. a surety agreement.
b. the money deposited, or the promissory arrangement entered into, under any such agreement.
13. a substance that causes particles to adhere; binder.
14. adhesion between two substances or objects, as concrete and reinforcing strands.
15. Also called chemical bond . Chem. the attraction between atoms in a molecule or crystalline structure. Cf. coordinate bond, covalent bond, electrovalent bond, hydrogen bond, metallic bond .
16. See bond paper .
17. Masonry.
a. any of various arrangements of bricks, stones, etc., having a regular pattern and intended to increase the strength or enhance the appearance of a construction.
b. the overlap of bricks, stones, etc., in a construction so as to increase its strength.
18. Elect. an electric conductor placed between adjacent metal parts within a structure, as in a railroad track, aircraft, or house, to prevent the accumulation of static electricity.
19. Obs. bondsman 1 .
v.t.
20. to put (goods, an employee, official, etc.) on or under bond: The company refused to bond a former criminal.
21. to connect or bind.
22. Finance. to place a bonded debt on or secure a debt by bonds; mortgage.
23. to join (two materials).
24. Masonry. to lay (bricks, stones, etc.) so as to produce a strong construction.
25. Elect. to provide with a bond: to bond a railroad track.
26. to establish a close emotional relationship to or with (another): the special period when a mother bonds to her infant.
v.i.
27. to hold together or cohere, from or as from being bonded, as bricks in a wall or particles in a mass.
28. Psychol. , Animal Behav. to establish a bonding.
[ 1175-1225; ME (n.); var. of BAND 3 ]
Syn. 1. bonds, chains, fetters. 3. BOND, LINK, TIE agree in referring to a force or influence that unites people. BOND, however, usually emphasizes the strong and enduring quality of affection, whereas TIE may refer more esp. to duty, obligation, or responsibility: bonds of memory; Blessed be the tie that binds; family ties. A LINK is a definite connection, though a slighter one; it may indicate affection or merely some traceable influence or desultory communication: a close link between friends.
bond 2
/bond/ , Obs.
n.
1. a serf or slave.
adj.
2. in serfdom or slavery.
[ bef. 1050; ME bonde, OE bonda bondi HUSBANDMAN, contr. of * boande, var. of BUANDE, c. OE buend dweller, equiv. to bu ( an ) to dwell (see BOOR) + -end n. suffix, as in FIEND, FRIEND ]