bend

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To make something curved or to become curved.

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

2. 2
   verb

   To move your body so that it is no longer straight.

   She bent down to pick up the coin.

3. 3
   verb

   To change direction; to curve.

   The road bends sharply to the right.

4. 4
   noun

   A curve in a road, river, or other long thing.

   There was a sharp bend in the road ahead.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Bend comes from Old English bendan, a Germanic verb meaning “put in bonds” or “make a bow taut with a string.” Its association with a taut bow led to the familiar sense of forming a curve.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *bindaną Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *bandijaną Proto-West Germanic *bandijan Old English bendan Middle English benden English bend 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”), F…

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary