Skip to the word

Added 7 October 2026

bend

/bɛnd/ noun

In Latin: flectō, sinuō, curvō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bend at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A circular segment of a curve.
a bend in the road
Movement that causes the formation of a curve.
Curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.).

verb

Form a curve.
The stick does not bend
Change direction.
The road bends
Cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form.
bend the rod

Origin

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 bind, band, bond.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word