Bend

How to spell bend

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce bend

What does bend mean?

1. verbTo force something into a curved or angled shape, or to move into such a shape.
2. nounA curve or turn in something otherwise straight, such as a road or river.

Bend in a sentence

• verb

  The plumber had to bend the copper pipe around the corner.

• noun

  The lorry slowed sharply as it approached the tight bend in the road.

• verb

  She had to bend down to pick up the dropped keys.

• noun

  The cottage sits just beyond the bend in the river.

Where does bend come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the Old English verb bendan, which originally meant to string a bow or to draw it tight, and only later broadened to the general sense of forcing something into a curve. That early meaning is closely tied to the noun band, since stringing a bow involved fastening a tight cord or band to it, and the two ideas of binding and bending grew from the same Germanic root. As the centuries passed the connection with archery faded, and by the medieval period people used bend simply for curving any flexible thing, from a branch to a road. The noun sense, a curve in a road or river, followed naturally from the verb. Because the spelling has stayed short and phonetic, with no silent letters or doubled consonants, it has remained one of the most stable and predictable words in English.

How the word is built

• bend (from Old English bendan: to bend a bow, constrain)
• no affix