bend

From Proto-Indo-European *band (“drop”). Compare Phrygian βεδυ (bedu, “water”), Sanskrit बिन्दु (bindú, “drop”), Middle Irish banna, baina (“drop”) and possibly Latin Fōns Bandusiae.


bend

If you bend the pipe too far, it will break.

Don’t bend your knees.

(transitive) To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means.

Look at the trees bending in the wind.

Bend thine ear to supplication.

1667, John Milton, “Book XI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

Towards Coventry bend we our course.

c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene viii]:

bending her eyes on the floor

1816, [Walter Scott], The Antiquary. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

(transitive) To cause to change direction.

The road bends to the right.

to whom our vows and wishes bend

1634, John Milton, “Arcades”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:

(intransitive) To be inclined; to direct itself.

He bent down to pick up the pieces.

(intransitive, usually with "down") To stoop.

Each to his great Father bends.

1797–1798 (date written), [Samuel Taylor Coleridge], “The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere”, in Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, London: […] J[ohn] & A[rthur] Arch, […], published 1798, →OCLC:

(intransitive) To bow in prayer, or in token of submission.

They bent me to their will.

Of liegers for her sweet, and which she after
Except she bend her humour, shall be assured
To taste of too.

1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:

Leviathan: You cannot conceive of a galaxy that bends to your will.
Leviathan: Every creature, every nation, every planet we discovered became our tools. We were above the concerns of lesser species.

2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3: Leviathan, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, PC, scene: 2181 Despoina:

I am bending to my desire to eat junk food.

He bent the company's resources to gaining market share.

And I remember one great Miniſter that confeſt to me, when he fell into one of his uſual Fits of the Gout, He was no longer able to bend his mind or thoughts to any Publick Buſineſs, [...]

1679, William Temple, “An Essay upon the Cure of Gout by Moxa. […]”, in Miscellanea. […], London: […] A. M. and R. R. for Edw[ard] Gellibrand, […], →OCLC, page 192:

when to mischief mortals bend their will

1714, Alexander Pope, “The Rape of the Lock”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC, canto III:

(transitive) To apply to a task or purpose.

He bent to the goal of gaining market share.

(intransitive) To apply oneself to a task or purpose.

Palladius did not lie, although he might have bent the facts a bit and even passed over in silence whatever might not have benefited his client's cause.

2011, Demetrios S. Katos, Palladius of Helenopolis: The Origenist Advocate, page 60:

(transitive) To adapt or interpret to for a purpose or beneficiary.

Bend the sail to the yard.

(transitive, nautical) To tie, as in securing a line to a cleat; to shackle a chain to an anchor; make fast.

You should bend the G slightly sharp in the next measure.

(transitive, music) To smoothly change the pitch of a note.

(intransitive, nautical) To swing the body when rowing.

en-verb

bend (third-person singular simple present bends, present participle bending, simple past and past participle bent or (archaic) bended)

bends (present singular third-person)
bending (participle present)
bent (participle past)
bent (past)
bended (archaic participle past)
bended (archaic past)

inclinar-se

to bow in prayer, or in token of submission

taipua

to adapt or interpret to for a purpose or beneficiary

From Middle English benden, from Old English bendan (“to bind or bend (a bow), fetter, restrain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bandijan, from Proto-Germanic *bandijaną (“to bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind, tie”). Cognate with Middle High German benden (“to fetter”), Danish bænde (“to bend”), Norwegian bende (“to bend”), Faroese benda (“to bend, inflect”), Icelandic benda (“to bend”). Related to band, bond.


bend

There's a sharp bend in the road ahead.

I hear the train a comin'/It's rolling round the bend

I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.

1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

A simpler version of the common bend with its ends in the same direction is used to join binder twine in a hay baling machine.

2012, Percy W. Blandford, Practical Knots and Ropework, page 67:

Any of the various knots which join the ends of two lines.

A diver who stays deep for too long must ascend very slowly in order to prevent the bends.

decompression sickness
decompression sickness

(in the plural, medicine, underwater diving, with the) A severe condition caused by excessively quick decompression, causing bubbles of nitrogen to form in the blood; decompression sickness.

Perhaps the most celebrated coat of arms is that of Scrope, which is Azure a bend Or. This is the coat over which, from 1385 to 1390, Sir Robert le Grosvenor and Sir Richard le Scrope invoked the High Court of Chivalry to decide which of them had the right to bear these arms. Chaucer gave evidence before the court. In the end the arms were awarded to Scrope, and Grosvenor was ordered to difference with a bordure Argent. This he disdained to do, and being highly dissatisfied with the verdict he appealed to Richard II who altered the decision of the court by refusing to allow the bend to Grosvenor at all! Grosvenor then adopted a garb, or sheaf of corn.

1968, Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin, The Observer's Book of Heraldry, pages 63–64:

(heraldry) One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two diagonal lines drawn from the dexter chief to the sinister base; it generally occupies a fifth part of the shield if uncharged, but if charged one third.

Farewell, poor swain; thou art not for my bend.

1608, John Fletcher, The Faithful Shepherdess, act 1, scene 3:

(obsolete) Turn; purpose; inclination; ends.

In the leather trade, the best quality of sole leather; a butt; sometimes, half a butt cut lengthwise.

(nautical, in the plural) The thickest and strongest planks in a ship's sides, more generally called wales, which have the beams, knees, and futtocks bolted to them.

the midship bends

(nautical, in the plural) The frames or ribs that form the ship's body from the keel to the top of the sides.

(music) A glissando, or glide between one pitch and another.

parras

nautical: thickest and strongest planks in a ship's sides

kaaret

nautical: frames or ribs that form the ship's body


bend

bendet (definite singular)
bend (indefinite plural)
benda (definite plural)


bend

head

bend (neuter bendt, definite singular and plural bende)

bendt (neuter)
bende (definite plural singular)


bend

bend (nominative singular)
bendas (nominative plural)
bend (accusative singular)
bendas (accusative plural)
bendes (genitive singular)
benda (genitive plural)
bende (dative singular)
bendum (dative plural)


bend

inflection of bendr:
strong feminine nominative singular

strong neuter nominative/accusative plural


bend

second-person singular active imperative of benda


bend

(music, electric guitar) bend (change in pitch produced by bending a string)


bend

bȅnd (canonical masculine)
бе̏нд (Cyrillic)
bȅnd (nominative singular)
bendovi (nominative plural)
bendi (nominative plural)
benda (genitive singular)
bendova (genitive plural)
benda (genitive plural)
bendu (dative singular)
bendovima (dative plural)
bendima (dative plural)
bȅnd (accusative singular)
bendove (accusative plural)
bende (accusative plural)
bȅnde (singular vocative)
bendovi (plural vocative)
bendi (plural vocative)
bendu (locative singular)
bendovima (locative plural)
bendima (locative plural)
bendom (instrumental singular)
bendovima (instrumental plural)
bendima (instrumental plural)