▪ I.bend,n.¹|bɛnd|Forms: 1– bend; also 3 biend, 4 beend.[Com.Teut.,OE.bęndstr.fem.(pl.bęnda)=OS.bendi,OFris.bende,MDu.bende,Goth.bandi:—OTeut.*bandjâ-,f.band-, stem of bindan to bind; also inOE.str.masc.(pl.bęndas). This is the original English word, now superseded,exc.in nautical use, by the cognate bandn.¹, bond, fromON., the senses of which ran inME.alongside of those of bend, so as to make it appear only another phonetic variant of those. TheOE.pl.benda remained inME.as bende in collective sense of ‘bonds, imprisonment.’]†1.Anything with which one's body or limbs are bound; a band, bond, or fetter. pl.collective, Bonds, fetters, confinement, imprisonment. Obs.c890K. ælfredBæda iv. xxii. (Bosw.)Þa benda sumes ᵹehæftes.c1000Ags.Ps.cvi[i]. 13Heora bendas towearp.c1000Ags.Gosp.Matt.xi. 2Ða Johannes on bendum[Hatton benden]ᵹehyrde Christes weoruc.c1175Moral Ode 180 in Lamb.Hom.171For lesen hi of bende.Ibid.289In þo loþe biende[Trin. MS. in þe loðe bende].c1205Lay.18459Þe king heom lette binden mid irene bænde[1250 bendes].c1300Beket 15Oft in feteres and in othe[r]bende.c1400Gamelyn 457To brynge me out of bendes.Ibid.837Gamelyn leet unfetere his brother out of beende.†b.fig.The ‘fetters’ or ‘shackles’ of habit, etc.; custody, keeping;=bandn.¹ 8.971Blickl.Hom.9Þa wæs ᵹesended þæt goldhord..on þone bend þæs clænan innoðes.c1200Trin.Coll.Hom.63Ac þat..unbindeð þe bendes of wiðerfulnesse.†c.A moral or spiritual bond or restraint; the bands or bonds of matrimony.=bandn.¹ 9.a1250Owl & Night. 1426Thurh chirche bende.Ibid.1470Thah spusing bendes thuncheth sore.1340Ayenb. 48Þet ne habbeþ nenne bend ne of wodewehod ne of spoushod.†d.‘Confinement’ at child-birth: ‘Our Lady's Bands’: see bandn.¹ 1 c.1297R.Glouc.379Ȝyf God me wole grace sende Vorto make my chyrche gon, & bringe me of þys bende.c1330King of Tars 539By the fourti wikes ende, Heo was delyvered out of beende, Thorw help of Marie mylde.†2.A clamp or band (of iron, etc.) for strengthening a box, etc.; a connecting piece by which the parts of anything are bound together;=bandn.¹ 4, 5. Obs.a1225Ancr. R. 382Ibunden mid iren..and mid brode þicke bendes.1523Fitzherb.Husb.§4Somme plowes haue a bende of yron.1596SpenserF.Q. ii. vii. 30Huge great yron chests, and coffers strong, All bard with double bends.3.Naut.A knot, used to unite one rope to another, or to something else; there are various kinds, as the cable bend, carrick bend, fisherman's bend, etc. (The only extant sense.)1769FalconerDict.Marine (1789)Bend, the knot by which one rope is fastened to another.1819ReesCycl.s.v.Bends,For a carrick bend, lay the end of a rope, or hawser, across its standing part.1829Gen.P. Thompson Exerc.(1842) I. 114Taking a bend on the bight of the rope.1833MarryatP. Simple xiv,He taught me a fisherman's bend, which he pronounced to be the king of all knots.†4.Comb.bend-ful (obs.), a bandful, a bundle.a1480Kyng & Hermit 169 inHazl.E.P.P. 20The frere he had bot barly stro, Two thake bendsfull without mo.▪ II.bend,n.²|bɛnd|Forms: 1 bend, 5–6 bende.[Apparently originally English, as a sense of theprec.word: see the early quotations. But afterwards naturally identified withOF.bende (mod.Fr.bande): see bandn.²; whence the later sense-development. Now used only in the Heraldic and technical senses 3, 4 (if 4 really belongs here).TheOF.bende, bande, corresponds tomed.L. binda, benda, Lombard benda,It.benda, banda,Sp.andPg.venda and banda; pointing to a Romanic adoption ofOHG.bindâ, ‘band, fillet, tie, sash,’ and also of Gothic bandi or other equivalent ofOE.bend, with similar sense.]†1.A thin flat strip adapted to bind round.†a.A riband, fillet, strap, band, used for ornament or as part of a dress; a sash, swaddling-band, hat-band, bandage;=bandn.² 1–5. Obs.or ? dial.c1000ælfricGloss.in Wr-Wülcker Voc.152Diadema, bend aᵹimmed and ᵹesmiðed.Ibid.Nimbus, mid golde ᵹesiwud bend.c1205Lay.24747And mid æne bende of golde ælc hafde his hæfd biuonge.c1340Gaw. &Gr.Knt. 2517Vche burne..a bauderyk schulde haue, A bende a belef hym aboute, of a bryȝt grene.c1450Crt.of Love 810A bend of golde and silke.1463inBury Wills (1850) 41My bende for an hat of blak sylk and silvir. Item to John Coote my bende of whit boon with smale bedys of grene.1491CaxtonVitas Patr. (W. de W.) i. xlviii. (1495) 93* b/1A lytyll bende, to swadle a lytyll chylde beynge in his cradle.1513Douglasæneis ii. iii. (ii.) 138About my heid ane gairland or a bend.1552Huloet,Bende, fillet or kerchiefe. amiculum.1601HollandPliny II. 365Bast dogs haire down to a bend or piece of cloth, and fasten the same close to the said forehead.1790GroseProv.Gloss.,Bend, a border of a woman's cap; north.1791–9Statist.Acc.Scot.XI. 173 (Jam.)The[Archery]prize[at Kilwinning], from 1488 to 1688, was a sash, or as it was called, a benn..a piece of Taffeta or Persian, of different colours, chiefly red, green, white, and blue.†b.Anat.A band, a ligament. Obs.1398TrevisaBarth. De P.R. v. v,The þridde curtel foloweþ, þat hat ‘cerotica’[sclerotica], þat..defendeþ all þe oþer from þe hardnesse of þe bon, and is as it were þe bende[ligamentum]of þe ye.†c.A scroll or riband in decorative work. ? Obs.c1535in GutchColl.Cur. I. 206And for 246 bends or poses..set up in the same windows.1743A. Milne in WadeMelrose Ab. (1861) 33On the East of this Window there is a Niche, having a monk for the supporter of the statue, holding a Bend with each Hand about his Breast.[1861Wadeibid. 314A venerable monk, bearing a band or scroll.]†2.A ‘stripe’ inflicted by a lash or rod. Obs.rare. (Also in form band, belonging to bandn.² after sense 8.)c1400Ywaine & Gaw. 2394He bar a scourge with cordes ten..Efter ilka band brast out the blode.a1550Peebles to Play,Quoth he, ‘Thy back sall bear ane bend’; ‘In faith,’ quoth she, ‘we meit not.’3.Her.An ordinary formed by two parallel lines drawn from the dexter chief to the sinister base of the shield, containing the fifth part of the field in breadth, or the third if charged. (Seequot.1872.) bend sinister: a similar ordinary drawn in the opposite direction: one of the marks of bastardy.Cf.batonn.in bend: placed bendwise. parted per bend: divided bendwise.c1430Syr Gener. 3924Armes he bereth riche and clene, With bendes of gold wel besene.1480CaxtonChron.Eng.cxciv. 170Euery bataylle had cote armures of grene clothe and therof the ryght quarter was yelowe with whyte bendes, wherfor that parlement was callyd the parlement of the whyte bende.1572J. BossewellArmorie ii. 33 b,Thei are called Bendes.1598DraytonHeroic.Ep.xxi. 95That Lyon plac'd in our bright Silver bend.1622PeachamCompl.Gentl. i. (1634) 9Some[bare]their Fathers whole Coate..in bend dexter.Ibid.,Yet it is the custome with vs, and in France, to allow them for Noble, by giving them sometimes their Fathers proper Coate, with a Bend sinister.1662FullerWorthies i. 48A Bend is esteemed the best Ordinarie, being a Belt born in its true posture athwart.1688R. HolmeArmory i. 74Parted per Bend Sinister.1816ScottAntiq.xii,The bend of bastardy upon the shield yonder.1872RuskinEagle's Nest §235The Bend..represents the sword-belt.4.A shape or size in which ox- or cow-hides are tanned into leather, forming half of a ‘butt.’A ‘butt’ is the entire hide of the back and flanks reduced to a rough rectangle, by what is technically called ‘rounding,’i.e.cutting off the surrounding thinner parts (the hide of the head and shoulders, and of the belly and shanks on each side of the ‘butt’). When this is cut in two by a line down the middle of the back, before tanning (as is mostly done in Scotland and the north of England), each half is called a ‘bend.’ Butts and bends contain the thickest and strongest hide, the qualities of which are further developed by special processes in tanning, so as to make the stoutest leather. Hence:b.bend-leather (orig.northern): the leather of a ‘bend,’i.e.the thickest and stoutest kind of leather (from the back and flanks), used for soles of boots and shoes; sole-leather.1600Heywood1 K.Edw.Wks.1874 I. 40,I had rather than a bend of leather Shee and I might smouch together.1865Times 29 Apr.,An average amount of business has been done in leather during the month. Foreign heavy butts and bends have been in only moderate demand.b.1581LambardeEiren. iv. 164If any tanner have raised with any mixture any hide to bee converted to backes, bend-leather, clowting-leather.1709Blair inPhil.Trans.XXVII. 76Of Substance not unlike to English Bend or Sole-Leather.1811Scott inLockhart (1839) III. 344Sir..can you say anything clever about bend leather?1880Blackw.Mag.Feb. 254But Jem was a tough one and never knew pains In his vulcanite bowels and bend-leather brains.▪ III.†bend,n.³ Obs.Forms: 5–6 bende, 6–7 bend.[Late 15th c. bende, a. F. bende, another (? earlier) form of F. bande (corresp.toIt.,Sp.,Pg.banda) ‘an organized company of men,’ a band. Both forms, bende and bande, appear to have been introduced fromFr.by Caxton(seebandn.³); but bende was by far the more frequent form till late in the 16th c., being always used byLd.Berners, Sir T. More, Grafton, etc., though band(e, alone appears in the versions of the Bible (Tindale and Coverdale have bonde in John xviii. 3, where the later versions have bande; but the word is not frequent in any form before the Geneva version of 1557). Bend is rare after 1600; the Shakespeare folio of 1623 has always band. The sense of ‘faction, party,’ is assigned also by Cotgrave to F. bande, and by Minsheu toSp.banda.]An organized company of men;=bandn.³; a party, a faction; a gang.1475CaxtonJason 78Upon them that they founde not of their bende.1509FisherFun.Serm.C'tess Richmond (1708) 15Yf ony faccyons or bendes were made secretly amongst her hede Officers.1539TonstallSerm.Palm Sund. (1823) 33Cornelius the Centuryon, capytayne of the Italyons bende.1544StalbridgeEpist.24A bende of bolde braggers.1552Huloet,Bende of men, commonly of ten souldiers, manipulus.1579SpenserSheph.Cal.May 32A fresh bend Of louely Nymphs.1600HollandLivy xxiii. 473The bend and faction of the Cossanes..kept him downe.1611SpeedHist.Gt.Brit.ix. xviii. 15The Duke of Gloucester..and other Lords, the chiefe of his bend▪ IV.bend,n.⁴|bɛnd|[A late derivative of bend v., appearing in the 16th c.]I.Related to bend v. II.1.The action of the verb bend; bending, incurvation; bent condition, flexure, curvature.1597Way to Thrift 62Too mickle bend will breake thy bow When the game is alder best.c1790J. ImisonSch.Arts I. 112When the strong spring C is set on bend against the opposite ends of the pins.c1806A. MackintoshDriffield Angler 229The effect of the proper degree of bend.1816ByronCh.Har. iii. cii,The gush of springs..the bend Of stirring branches.1858HawthorneFr.&It.Jrnls.I. 236A wave just on the bend, and about to break over.2. a.A bending of the body; a bow. Obs.except with defining words, as an instance of sense 1.(Cf.the slang phrase Grecian Bend, denoting a certain bending forward of the body in walking, affected by some women c 1872–80.)1529LyndesayComplaint 181With bendis and beckis For wantones.a1550Christis KirkGr.vi,Platefute he bobit up with bendis, For Mald he made requiest.[Mod.With a quick bend of the body, a slight bend of the knee, etc.]b.the bends: the acute attacks of pain in muscles and joints suffered on over-rapid reduction of the surrounding air pressure, chiefly by workers in compressed air who are decompressed too quickly, with consequent liberation of dissolved nitrogen from the body tissues. Also, more loosely, the whole disease (also called caisson-disease) produced by decompression.1894Westm.Gaz.16 Oct. 3/2The pressure..is quite enough to give the men a dose of the ‘bend’[sic]as it is called.1902Idler July 485That..terrible air-pressure disease known as the ‘bends’.1913Pembrey & RitchieGen.Path.494These pains[in Caisson disease]pass off in a few hours, and are known to the workmen as ‘bends’, apparently because of the flexed positions which they induce.1962Listener 29 Mar. 562/1Nitrogen narcosis must not be confused with decompression sickness, commonly known as the bends.†3.Inclination of the eye in any direction, glance. Obs.rare.1601Shakes.Jul. C. i. ii. 123That same eye whose bend doth awe the world.4.Turn of mind, inclination, bent. Obs.except with defining words, as an instance of sense 1.1591inHarl.Misc.(1809) II. 211For the more forcible attraction of these vnnaturall people (being weake of vnder⁓standing) to this their bend, these seedemen of treason bring certain bulles from the Pope.1610FletcherFaithf.Sheph.(T.)Farewel, poor swain: thou art not for my bend.c1815FuseliLect.Art vii. (1848) 491The prevalent bend of the reigning taste.5.concr.a.A thing of bent shape; the bent part of anything,e.g.of a river, a road; a curve or crook.c1600Rob.Hood (Ritson) ii. xi. 17A herd of deer was in the bend All feeding before his face.1727ChambersCycl.s.v.Flying,The bony part, or bend of the wing into which the feathers are inserted.1803SoutheyEng.Eclog. ixA long parade..Round yonder bend it reaches A furlong further.1879FroudeCæsar xix. 319At a bend of the river four miles below Paris.1883CenturyMag.378The perfection of fishhooks in shank, bend, barb and point.b.The curve of a gun-stock, shaped to fit the arm of the person for whose use it is made.1859‘Stonehenge’Shot-gun & Sporting Rifle iv. i. 229In addition to the adaptation in length and bend of the stock, it is also..bent sideways.1892W. W. GreenerBreech-Loader 73The distance from a to heel, and from b to comb. This is the bend.c.A curved drain-pipe.a1884KnightDict.Mech.Suppl.,Bend, a flexed pipe, changing the direction.1908AnimalManagem.53Any change of direction being made by curved pipes or ‘bends’.d.In a carding machine, the semicircular frame which carries the brackets in which the rollers are borne; also, in a carding machine of the revolving flat type, the curved surface which sustains the chain of flats.1882Spon'sEncycl.Industr.Arts V. 2073As the periphery passes round to the cylinder, the teeth are then in the act of ascending (the bend being thus in the opposite direction), and presenting facilities for being stripped of the wool they have acquired.1890J. NasmithMod.Cotton Spinn.Mach.64The phrase ‘bend’ should only be applied to that portion of the mechanism upon which the flats actually travel.1892―Students' Cotton Spinning 101The whole of the rollers are borne in brackets fixed to a semicircular frame bolted on the lower frame P, and known as the ‘bend’, the brackets having open bearings formed at their heads.6.Naut.a.pl.‘The crooked timbers which make the ribs or sides of a ship’ (J.); the wales.1626Capt.Smith Accid.Yng.Seamen 11The Orlope, the ports, the bend, the bowe.1627―Seaman'sGram.ii. 6From bend to bend, or waile to waile, which are the out⁓most timbers on the ship sides, and are the chiefe strength of her sides, to which the foot-hookes, beames, and knees are bolted, and are called the first, second, and third Bend.1725SloaneJamaica II. 344A signal of distress from a plank being started on her bend, on the forepart of the ship.1803Nelson in NicolasDisp. (1845) V. 127She is to be caulked, her bends blacked and painted.b.‘The chock of the bowsprit.’ Smyth Sailor's Word-bk.†7.Seequots.(Perhaps belongs here.)1847–78Halliwell,Bend, a semicircular piece of iron used as part of a horse's harness to hold up the chains when ploughing.1881EvansLeicester Wds. (E.Dial.Soc.) 103Bend, a piece of bent plate-iron which went over the back of the last horse at plough. Now (1848) disused.II.Probably related to bend v. V.†8.‘A spring, a leap, a bound.’ Jamieson. Sc.Obs.[Cf.bend v. 22.]1513Douglasæneis v. vi. 58Befoir thaim all furth bowtis with a bend Nisus a far way.1550LyndesaySqr. Meldrum 519Quhairon[a steed]he lap, and tuik his speir..And bowtit fordward with ane bend.9.A long draught, ‘a pull of liquor.’ Jamieson. Only in Sc.[Cf.bend v. 23.]1725RamsayGentleSheph.in Poems (1844) 31Come, gie's the other bend, We drink their healths, what ever way it end.10. a.Phrases. on the bend: by means that are not straightforward, ‘crookedly’; to go on the (or a) bend: to go ‘on the spree’; also to have a bend;cf.bender 5 b. slang.1863J. C. JeaffresonLive it Down xxviii,I'll order my executor to buy my coffin off the square. He shall get it on the bend, somehow or other.1879Kidston inProc.Gen.Assembly Free ChurchScotl.62‘Going on the spree’ or ‘having a bend’.1887F. Francis Jr.Saddle & Mocassin 84They do say as he was 'customed to go on a scoop—on a bend, occasionally, as it were.1891KiplingCity Dreadf. Nt. 71The gallant apprentice may be a wild youth with an earnest desire to go occasionally ‘upon the bend’.1891―Life's Handicap 60,I went on the bend with a intimate friend.1936L. A. G. StrongLast Enemy i. x. 152Been on the bend, 'aven't you?b.above one's bend: beyond one's powers. U.S.1835CrockettTour down East 44,I shall not attempt to describe the curiosities here[sc. at Peale's Museum]; it is above my bend.1848J. F. CooperOak Open. (De Vere),It would be above my bend to attempt telling you all we saw among the Redskins.1872Schele de VereAmericanisms 577Above one's bend means, above one's power of bending all his strength to a certain purpose.c.round the bend: crazy, insane. colloq.1929F. C. BowenSea Slang 114Round the bend, an old naval term for anybody who is mad.1951‘N. Shute’Round the Bend xi. 361People are saying that I've been out in the East too long, and I've gone round the bend.1955J. I. M. StewartGuardians vii. 78Right round the bend..I mean..as mad as a hatter.▸ Music (orig.Jazz). Variation of the pitch of a note upwards or downwards to create a deliberately distorted tone; an instance of this.Cf.bend v. AdditionsSuch variation was originally employed principally by brass players, and produced by the lips, frequently with the aid of half-valving; it is now commonly used also by guitar players and produced by physically bending the strings with the fingers.1949A. Shaw inMusicLibr.Assoc.Notes Dec. 39Bend, effect employed by the brass section of modern bands. It is achieved by manipulation of the lip and involves a slight upward or downward variation in pitch.1986Keyboard Player Apr. 16/3You may use the Magic Foot for sustain or for bend.1988New GroveDict.Jazz II. 466/1Smear, an exaggerated bend of a semitone or a tone down and then up again, executed with a harsh or ‘dirty’ tone.1995Alternative Press May 70/3All you really need to hear, is Lois' acoustic guitar and her voice limberly reaching around the bend of each chord.▪ V.bend,v.|bɛnd|Forms: pa.tense 1–3 bende, 4–6 bend, 4–5 bente, 3– bent, 6– bended. pa.pple.1 bended, 4–5 y-, i-, ye-bent, 4–6 bente, 6 y-, i-bente, bende, 4– bended, bent.[OE.bęndan,prob.identical withON.benda ‘to join, strain, strive, bend.’ (The rareMHG.benden ‘to fetter’ is perhaps of independent formation.)OTeut.*bandjan,f.bandjâ- ‘string, band,’ inOE.bęnd. InOE.used only in the senses ‘to restrain with a bond, fetter, confine,’ and ‘to bend a bow,’orig.‘to hold in restraint or confine with the string.’ From the latter by transference of the word to the bowed or curved condition of a bent bow, came the now main sense of ‘to bow, curve, or crook.’Cf.the partly parallel history of F. bander,OF.bender (=Pr.andIt.bendare, bandare,Sp.andPg.vendar, bandar).]Gen.sign. I. To fasten or constrain with a ‘bend’ or bond; to confine, fetter. spec.To constrain a bow with the string (hence, to wind up a cross-bow, cock a pistol); to fasten ropes, sails to the yards, horses to a vehicle. Hence arise two lines of development; II. To bow or curve, deflect, inflect, bow oneself, stoop, submit, yield; III. To direct or level a weapon, to aim, bring to bear, bring one's force or energies to bear. By blending of these; IV. To direct or turn one's steps, oneself, one's mind, eyes, ears, in any specified direction.I.To bind, to constrain, to make fast.†1.trans.To put in bonds, to fetter. Obs.1036O.E.Chron.(MS.C.)Sume hí man bende.2.spec.a.To constrain or bring into tension by a string (a bow, an arbalest, a catapult, etc.) Formerly also bend up;=L. tendere. In later times associated with the curved shape into which the bow is brought;=L. flectere. (Hence branch II.)c1000Ags.Ps.vii. 13He bende his boᵹan, se is nu ᵹearo to sceotanne.1297R.Glouc.377So styf man he was in harmes, in Ssoldren, & in lende, Þat vnneþe eny man myȝte hys bowe bende.Ibid.536Arblastes sone & ginnes withoute me bende.1375BarbourBruce xvii. 682The Engynour than deliuerly Gert bend the gyne in full gret hy.a1400Octovian 1495And they withoute gynnes bente, And greet stones to hem sente.c1400Destr. Troy xxiii. 9475Paris bend vp his bow with his big arme.c1440Promp. Parv. 30Bende bowys, tendo.c1500Rob.Hood (Ritson) i. i. 1266Sone there were good bowes ibent.1599GreeneGeorge a G. (1861) 264Bend up your bows, and see your strings be tight.1697DrydenVirg.Georg. ii. 774The Groom his Fellow-Groom at Buts defies; And bends his Bow, and levels with his Eyes.1870BryantHomer I. ii. 71Philoctetes, A warrior skilled to bend the bow.†b.Transferred to the harquebus, pistol, etc. when these took the place of the bow and arbalest; perhaps, as Littré suggests in regard to the similar use ofFr.bander, with special reference to the old form of lock which had to be wound up like a clock: To cock. Obs.(Hence branch III.)1633T. StaffordPac. Hib. vi. (1821) 82The Pistoll bent, both heart and hand, ready to doe the deed.c.fig.1611BibleJer.ix. 3And they bend their tongue like their bow for lies.3.fig.To strain, brace, tighten, wind up, bring into tension (like a strung bow or wound up harquebus). refl.To strain every nerve, brace or wind oneself up, nerve oneself;=Fr.se bander. Obs.or arch.Also bend up:cf.2.c1380Sir Ferumb. 545Wiþ þat þe Sarsyn þat was þor ? wax wroþ on his herte & bente hym brymly as a bor.a1529SkeltonAgst. Garnesche 41Boldly bend you to batell, and buske yourself to save.c1565R. LindsayChron.Scot.(1814) 79Nothing effeired of this disadvantage, bot rather bendit up, and kindled thereat,[he]rushed forward upon Craigiewallace.1599Shakes.Hen.V, iii. i. 16Now set the Teeth..Hold hard the Breath, and bend vp euery Spirit To his full height.1605―Macb.i. vii. 79,I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.1816ScottOld Mort. vii,Her whole mind apparently bent up to the solemn interview.4.Naut.To tie, fasten on, make fast (cf.bendn.¹ 3):e.g.to bend a rope. to bend the cable: to fasten it to the ring of the anchor. to bend a sail: ‘to extend or make it fast to its proper yard or stay’ (Adm.Smyth).1399Rich.Redeless iv. 72They bente on a bonet, and bare a topte saile Affor the wynde ffresshely, to make a good ffare.c1440Morte Arth. (Roxb.) 34A clothe that ouer the bote was bente Sir Gawayne lyfte vp and wente in bayne.1626Capt.Smith Accid.Yng.Seamen 16Bend your cables to your Anchors.1793SmeatonEdystone L. §262We concluded..to bend our sails (which had indeed been all unbent and stowed down in the hold for the summer) and try to gain Plymouth Sound.1833MarryatP. Simple xv,He desired Mr. Falcon to get new sails up and bend them.1867SmythSailor's Word-bk.,Bending the Cable, the operation of clinching, or tying the cable to the ring of its anchor.Ibid.Bending ropes is to join them together with a bowline knot, and then make their own ends fast upon themselves.†5.To harness the horses to (a cart or other vehicle); to yoke. Obs.(Cf.Ger.andDu.spannen to stretch, to bend a bow, to yoke a vehicle. See also bind in this sense.)1513Douglasæneis xii. v. 169Sum brydillis stedis, and cartis vp dyd bend.1535CoverdaleGen.xlvi. 29Then Joseph bended his charett fast[Vulgate juncto curru; Wyclif, Joseph ioyned his chare; 1611 made ready], and wente vp to mete Israel his father.II.To bring into the shape or direction of a bent bow.* Of the shape of a thing.6.trans.a.To put or bring into the shape of a bow; toarch.Obs.exc.as a specific sense of 7.c1320Cast. Loue 743For heuene-bouwe is abouten i-bent, Wiþ alle þe hewes þat him beþ i-sent.1382WyclifIsa.li. 13The Lord thi shapere, that bente heuenes, and foundide the erthe.1483Cath.Angl.27/1To bend, arcuare.1655VaughanSilex Scint. (1858) 50Who gave the clouds so brave a bow, Who bent the spheres.[1839BaileyFestus x,Who bendst the Heavens before thee like a bow.]b.to bend the brows: (orig.) to arch the eyebrows; (later) to wrinkle or knit the brow; to frown, scowl.Cf.bent.a1300in WrightLyric P. 34 (Mätz.)Heo hath browes bend an heh.c1340Gaw. &Gr.Knt. 305He..Bende his bresed broȝez.1387TrevisaHigden (1865) I. 9 (Mätz.)Now men..wolde..whette her tunges and bende hire browes.1530Palsgr.448/2Thou bendest thy browes upon me as thou woldest eate me.1559Myrr.Mag.,Dk.Suffolk xvii,Fortune can both bend and smothe her browe.1631GougeGod's Arrows i. §41. 66Passion will soone manifest it selfe..by bending his browes.1774BlacklockGraham i. xx,In vain that rage which bends thy brow.[Cf.1593Shakes.Rich.II, ii. i. 170Or bend one wrinckle on my Soueraigne's face.]7. a.To constrain (anything straight) into any kind of arched or angular shape; to stretch out of the straight; to bow, curve, crook, inflect. Usually said of things linear, but also of surfaces, to dint. ‘Bend’ is not said of flaccid things, such as cotton, cloth, paper, which are ‘folded’; but only of such as possess some rigidity, as a card, wood, metal, gristle; or of rigid things having joints, as the arm or back-bone. Now the main sense.1393GowerConf.II. 247On knees down bent.1415Pol.Poems (1859) II. 125His basonet to his brayn was bent.c1435Torr.Port.2590No man..That myght make Torent to bowe, Ne his bak to bend.1584LylyCampaspe v. i,To bend his body every way, and his mind no way.1593Shakes.Rich.II, v. iii. 98 Aum.Vnto my mothers prayres, I bend my knee. Yorke. Against them both, my true ioynts bended be.1597GerardHerbal iii. xlii. (1633) 1357Branches..so easie to be bent or bowed, that hereof they make Hoops.1667MiltonP.L. i. 616Their doubled ranks they bend From wing to wing, and half enclose him round.1751DesaguliersFiresImpr.19A Tube..bended in the manner of a Syphon.a1776J. FergusonAstron.(1803) 111Take about seven feet of strong wire, and bend it into a circular form.1813ByronGiaour 68He who hath bent him o'er the dead.1836DickensSk.Boz iv. (C.D.ed.) 39His form is bent by age.b.To apply the same kind of action to alter curvature in any way,e.g.to straighten what is crooked.1616R. C.Times' Whistle (1871) 125The tree growing crooked, if you'l have it mended, Whilst that it is a twigg it must be bended.1674PettyDisc.bef.R.Soc.2,I haue therefore, to streighten this crooked stick, bent it..the quite contrary way.c.To make (a thing fixed at one end) curve over for the time from the erect position.1681J. ChethamAngler's Vade-m. i. §9The Yew, though much bended, will quickly return to its former standing.1692R. LestrangeFables 215 (1708) I. 233The Oak was stubborn and chose rather to Break than to Bend.1832A. CunninghamSong ‘A Wet Sheet’,A wind that follows fast..And bends the gallant mast.1885Truth 28 May 848/2The poplars are bent by the rising wind.8.intr.a.To assume or receive a curved form, or a shape in which one part is inclined at an angle to the other.1398TrevisaBarth. De P.R. vi. iv. (1495) 191For tendernes the lymmes of the chylde maye..bowe and bende and take dyuers shapes.1577Gascoigne in FarrS.P. (1845) I. 37The Rainbowe bending in the skie, Bedeckte with sundrye hewes.1815Encycl.Brit.(ed.5) VIII. 436Their knees..bend so, that they are apt to trip and stumble.1816J. WilsonCity of Plague i. i. 30No knee This day..hath bent before its altar.b.To curve over from the erect position. (Usually said of things that recover their position when the bending force is withdrawn.)c1374ChaucerTroylus ii. 1378Thogh she bende, yet she stont a-rote.a1593H. SmithWks.(1867) II. 90A house bending to fall.1697DrydenVirg.Georg. iii. 311The waving Harvest bends beneath his Blast.1751JohnsonRambl.No.144 ⁋8The trees that bend to the tempest erect themselves again when its force is past.1753HerveyMedit.II. 33The knotty Oaks bend before the Blast.9.spec.a.Of persons: To bend the body, to stoop; to assume a bent or stooping posture. to bend over (prep.),i.e.with attention. to bend over (adv.): to put oneself into position to receive a beating; also as v.trans.to bend over backwards: see backwardsadv.A.c1374ChaucerAnel. & Arc. 186Hir daunger made him boothe bowe and beende.1599Shakes.Much Ado v. i. 39,I vvould bend vnder anie heauie vvaight.1667MiltonP.L. iv. 462A Shape within the watry gleam appeerd, Bending to look on me.1727SwiftGulliver ii. viii. 174One of the servants opening the door, I bent down to go in.1831CarlyleSart.Res.i. xi,The sooty smith bends over his anvil.1850LyttonMy Novel vi. vi,He bent down and kissed her cheek.1889in Barrère & LelandDict.Slang I. 107/2,Bend over.1946B. MarshallGeorge Brown's Schooldays ii. 6They make you bend over again and the second time they often draw blood.Ibid.vii. 36‘Bend him over,’ the Bruiser order[ed]. He took a great run and smote the tight little bottom mightily.1948C. Day LewisOtterb. Incident iii. 24He doesn't offer to bend over when one of us is going to be beaten.1960BetjemanSummoned by Bells v. 49Bravely I answered, ‘Please, sir, it was me.’ ‘All right. Bend over.’b.To stoop down as from a height.1839Sir R. GrantHymn ‘Saviour, when in dust to Thee’ i,Bending from Thy throne on high, Hear our solemn Litany!1853MauriceTheol.Ess.vi. 108We want to see absolute Goodness and Truth. We want to know whether they can bend to meet us.c.esp.To bend the body in submission or reverence; to bow (unto, to, before, towards).a1586Sidney in FarrSel.P. I. 63The desert-dwellers at his beck shall bend.1611BibleIsa.lx. 14The sonnes also of them that afflicted thee, shall come bending vnto thee.1648MiltonPs.lxxxi. 62Who hate the Lord should then be fain To bow to him and bend.1667―P.L. ii. 477Towards him they bend.1763ChurchillPoems I. 72Here let me bend, great Dryden, at thy shrine.1813ScottRokeby iv. xxx,Their chief to Wilfrid bended low.1850RobertsonSerm.Ser.ii. ii. (1864) 24Science bending before the Child, becoming childlike.d.to catch (a person) bending: to catch (someone) at a disadvantage. colloq.1910WodehousePsmith in City xviii. 163If any tactless person were to publish those..speeches..our revered chief would be more or less caught bending..as regards his chances of getting in as Unionist candidate at Kenningford.1938―Code of Woosters iv. 97You'll get the poor bird unfrocked... It's something they do to parsons when they catch them bending.1967A. WilsonNo Laughing Matter ii. 139He then goes off singing, ‘My word, if I catch you bending, my word, if I catch you bending.’10.fig.To submit, to bow; to yield, give way to; to prove pliant, tractable, or subservient.a1400Cursor M. 1584 (FairfaxMS.)He wende þat alle sulde til his wil bende.1644QuarlesJudgm. & Mercy 146Whose leaden souls are taught by stupid reason to stand bent at every wrong.1723Sheffield (Dk.Buckhm.) Wks.1753 I. 9Under this law both kings and kingdoms bend.1763J. BrownPoetry &Mus.§12. 207Well attested Facts are stubborn Things, and will not bend to general Affirmations.1823J. BadcockDom. Amusem. 92If any excessive paroxysms do not immediately bend before it.1841MacaulayLet.in Trevelyan Life (1876) II. ix. 108All considerations as to dignity of style ought to bend to his consideration.11.trans.To cause (a person, the temper, spirit, mind, or will) to bow, stoop, incline, or relent.1538StarkeyEngland 24Bend your selfe to that to the wych you are borne.1583StanyhurstAeneis ii. (Arb.) 65Yf that prayer annye the bendeth.1652L. S.People's Lib. i. 2Seeing he will not be bended by reason.1848MacaulayHist.Eng.II. 331The spirit of the rustic gentry was not to be bent.1872FreemanNorm.Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 156The sight in no way bent the hearts of the men of Exeter.1877Mrs. OliphantMakers Flor. xv. 367To ask pardon, no doubt a hard thing to bend his mind to.12. a.to bend the head or face: to lower it or direct it downwards, by bending the neck; to bow the head.a1652J. SmithSel.Disc.i. 6With their faces bended downwards.1697DrydenVirg.Georg. iv. 740Trees bent their Heads to hear him.c1720S. WesleyHymn of Eupolis 102Bend your heads, in homage bend.1860TyndallGlac.i. §3. 29He took my hand and, silently bending down his head, kissed it.b.intr.(for refl.) Predicated of the head.1872Geo.Eliot in Cross Life III. 169The sight of the dull faces bending round the gaming tables.1875Miss ThackerayMiss Angel xxi. 195The heads bend in long line.** Of the direction in which a thing lies.13.trans.To turn away from the straight line (without reference to the curve imparted); to incline in any direction; to deflect, turn.1513Douglasæneis ix. vi. 23The cartis stand with ly⁓mowris bendyt strek.1563T. HillArte Garden. (1593) 155[They]will in the next morrow, bee turned or bended another way.1661LovellHist.Anim.&Min.Introd.,The foremost longest[legges]are bended forewards; but those that leap..are bended backward.1877ProctorSpectroscope i. 11The ray is again bent from the perpendicular.fig.1882C. PebodyEng.Jrnlism. xvi. 123He used generally to bend conversation in such way as to avoid coming into dispute with his companions.14.intr.a.To have a direction away from the straight line, to incline in any direction, to trend.1572L. MascallGovt.Cattle (1627) 255His groyne and snout short, and beinding backeward.1600HakluytVoy.(1810) III. 216The Island..bending from him full West.1601HollandPliny I. 117That mountaine of the one side bendeth downe toward Euxinus.1609Bible (Douay)1Sam.xx. 41David rose out of his place which did bend to the South.1730A. GordonMaffei's Amphith. 267Spikes..which stretched forward into the Arena, and..bended towards it.1858LongfellowDiscov.North Cape xviii,And now the land..Bent southward suddenly.†b.fig.To tend. Obs.1579TomsonCalvin'sSerm.Tim.641/1These three bend (as it were) to one, to wit, the riche men must do good, and part with their goodes to other, and giue willingly.15.trans.(fig.) To turn aside or pervert from the right purpose or use; to twist, wrest. spec.inmod.slang: to use for ‘crooked’ or wrongful purposes; to steal; to ‘throw’ (a contest, etc.).a1555LatimerSerm.& Rem. (1845) 332Forasmuch as I have heard, Ecce vobiscum sum..bended to corroborate the same.1562CooperAnsw.Def.Truth (1850) 91Their successors, by little and little, bent the same name unto the action and celebration of the Sacrament.1864O. W. NortonArmyLett.(1903) 242Perhaps you think it bending the Sabbath to build while I should be at church.1930Amer.Mercury XXI. 454/2We bend a boat to hist the hooch.1958Observer 30 Nov. 13/8There are honest landladies in districts like Victoria who let a flat to someone they think is an ordinary girl, who then proceeds to ‘bend’ it: uses it for prostitution.1960Sunday Express 16 Oct. 1/7Watford players shared {pstlg}110 given to them by the Brighton players to ‘bend’ a home and away game with them.†16.a.trans.To incline, dispose in mind; mostly in pass.to be inclined or disposed to, towards; to be prone, liable, ready; to be addicted, given. Obs.1538StarkeyEngland 78Thys idulnes and vanyte, to the wych the most parte of our pepul ys much gyven and bent.1579E. K. in SpenserSheph.Cal.Apr. 5 Gloss.,Aprill..is most bent to showres.1607TopsellSerpents 782There is not one of them so ill bent, so malapertly sawcy, and impudently shamelesse.1708SwiftSacr. TestWks.1755 II. i. 124,I am hugely bent to believe, that whenever you concern yourselves in our affairs, it is certainly for our good.1749FieldingTom Jones vii. xi,Seemed bent to extenuate.†b.intr.To incline, lean, in mind or conduct.1567TriallTreas.(1850) 16He that bendeth to folowe his own inclination.1577HolinshedChron.III. 1029/2Although Ket bent to all vngratiousnes.III.To direct, aim (as a bow bent for shooting).Cf.Jer.li. 3 Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow.†17.a.trans.To direct, turn, aim, level, bring to bear (cannon, forces, etc.) against, upon, at. Obs.1530Palsgr.448/1They bended agaynst the castell ten courtaultes and fyftene serpentynes.1577HolinshedChron.III. 1095/2They bent their ordinance against the gate.1595Shakes.John ii. i. 37Our cannon shall be bent Against the browes of this resisting towne.1649Cromwell in CarlyleLett.cvii. (1871) II. 163They bent their guns at the frigate.1801ScottCadyow Castle xxxv,With hackbut bent, my secret stand Dark as the purposed deed I chose.†b.To aim, couch, direct (a spear or sword).1591SpenserVirg.Gnat. lii,Each doth against the others bodie bend His cursed steele.1596―F.Q. i. iii. 34So bent his speare and spurd his horse with yron heele.1594Shakes.Rich.III, i. ii. 95Thy murd'rous Faulchion..The which thou once didd'st bend against her brest.†c.fig.To direct (hostile action or words) against, on, (prayers) to heaven, etc. Obs.1577HanmerAnc.Eccl.Hist.(1619) 96The persecution..was so vehemently bent against him.1605Shakes.Lear ii. i. 48The Gods 'Gainst Paricides did all the thunder bend.1653CromwellLett.&Sp.(Carl.) III. 219,I shall rather bend my prayers for you.1681E. SclaterSerm.Putney 12All their Subtlety and Polity must be bent against them.†d.intr.(for refl.) Obs.a1636MiltonArcades 6This, this is she To whom our vows and wishes bend.18. a.trans.To direct, apply, or bring to bear strenuously (one's mind, energies, etc.) on, upon.c1510MorePicusWks.(1557) 30A very louer beleueth in his mynde, On whom so euer he hath his heart Ibente, That in that person menne maye nothing finde, But honorable.1577HarrisonEngland ii. iii. (1877) 79If they bend their minds to the knowledge of the same.1605BaconAdv.Learn. i. v. §10The scope..whereunto they bend their endeavours.1796BurkeRegic.PeaceWks.1842 II. 313They bent..their designs and efforts to revive the old French party.1876GreenShortHist.ii. §8 (1882) 102A sovereign who bent the whole force of his mind to hold together an Empire.b.refl.To direct or apply oneself. rare.1591Lok in FarrS.P. (1845) I. 140Whilst in the garden of this earthly soile Myself to solace and to bath I bend.1593BilsonGovt.Christ'sCh.362Many Bishops bent themselves to alter the Emperours minde.1669BunyanHoly Citie 56If any shall..bend themselves to disappoint the designs of the Eternal God.1850ThackerayPendennis lxxi,To the completion of which he bent himself with all his might.c.intr.(for refl.)1697DrydenVirg.Georg. iii. 285If to the Warlike Steed thy Studies bend, Or for the Prize in Chariots to contend.1856KaneArct. Exp. II. xxvi. 258Bending to our oars as the water opened[we]reached the shore.19.to be bent: to be intent, determined, resolved. Const. on or upon (to, for,obs.) an object or action; also (arch.) to do (something).c1400Cov.Myst.(1841) 3Now be we bent In this pagent the trewthe to telle.1561T. NortonCalvin'sInst.i. 66To bring him to be more hedefully bent to make amendes.1626BaconNew Atl. 15And was only bent to make his Kingdom and People happy.1762Goldsm.Cit. W. vi. (1837) 26The youth seems obstinately bent on finding you out.a1859De QuinceyWks.XIII. 49He is..bent upon confusing us; and I am bent upon preventing him.1868MorrisEarthly Par. ii. (1870) 173Like my fathers, bent to gather fame.1868FreemanNorm.Conq. (1876) II. vii. 158A project on which the King was fully bent.IV.Figurative uses in which ‘direct, aim,’ and ‘bow, deflect, turn,’ are combined.20. a.intr.To direct oneself, proceed, turn. arch.1399Langl.Rich.Redeless iii. 76Þei..burnisched her beekis, and bent to-him-wardis And ffolowid him ffersly.c1460TowneleyMyst.303 (Mätz.)To hir buxumly I red that we bende.1601Shakes.All's Well iii. ii. 57Thence we came: And..Thither we bend againe.1698Drydenæneid vi. 438Why to the Shore the thronging people bent.1713AddisonCato iii. ii. 124But see! My brother Marcus bends this way!1813ByronCorsair i. xvii,He..Down to the cabin with Gonsalvo bends.b.trans.To direct or turn (one's steps, course, way, etc.).1579GossonSch.Abuse (Arb.) 19Hee knewe not which way to bende his pace.1583Stanyhurstæneis i. (Arb.) 24Oure course tward Italye bending.1667MiltonP.L. iii. 573Thither his course he bends Through the calm Firmament.1718PopeIliad ii. 64To the fleet Atrides bends his way.1821J. BaillieWallace xxii,And to the wild woods bent his speed.1883M. CrawfordMr. Isaacs xii. 268Thither we all three bent our steps.c.trans.To direct (anything led, driven, or carried). arch.1583Stanyhurstæneis ii. (Arb.) 47To Troy ward when first you bended a nauye.1594Shakes.Rich.III, iv. v. 14Many other of great name and worth: And towards London do they bend their power.1746CollinsOde to Peace,To Britain bent his iron Car.21.trans.To direct, turn, or incline (the eyes, or ears), in the direction of anything seen or heard.1581J. BellHaddon'sAnsw.Osor. 314 b,The pearcyng light of the Sunne..doth blinde the sight, if the eyes be over much bente thereunto.1586Let.Earle Leycester 31,I neuer..bent my eares to credite a tale that first was tolde mee.1648MiltonPs.lxxxviii. 8And to my cries..Thine ear with favor bend.a1795SoutheyJoan of Arc iv. 62Every eye on her was bent.1833H. MartineauManch.Strike iv. 54His eyes bent on the ground in deep thought.V.Senses of doubtful origin.†22.intr.‘To spring, to bound.’ Sc.Obs.[Perh. related to 3, or 17.]c1530Lyndesay is referred to by Jamieson.23.‘To drink hard; a cant term’ (Jamieson).[Perh. ‘to pull, strain’ in reference to pulling or straining a bow (cf.3); or ‘to ply, apply oneself to’ (cf.18).]trans.andintr.a1758A. RamsayPoems (1800) I. 215 (Jam.)Braw tippony..Which we with greed Bended, as fast as she could brew.Ibid.ii. 73 (Jam.)To bend wi' ye, and spend wi' ye, An evening, and gaffaw.[1860RamsayRemin.Ser.i. (ed.7) 47Bend weel to the Madeira at dinner, for here ye'll get little o't after.Cf.18 b.]▸ colloq.(orig.U.S.). to bend a person's ear (also,occas.ears): to talk to someone,esp.at great length, repetitively, or vehemently; to harangue someone.Cf.ear-bendern.1.1938J. Mitchell (title)My ears are bent.1939N.Y.TimesMag.29 Oct. 22/1The better we listen and the more we let them bend our ear, the bigger our tip.1944New Yorker 4 Nov. 22/2Evvey[sic]night my sister Henny would bend my ears how her Mortie is freezin' hisself to death sleepin' out there on the porch.1979S. BrettComedian Dies v. 62I'd like to bend your ear for a moment about a couple of ideas.1990Economist 22 Sept. 43/1The purpose was to bend Mr Major's ear about the impact of the recession now hitting British industry.▸ trans.Music (orig.Jazz). To alter the pitch of (a note, etc.) upwards or downwards to create a deliberately distorted tone. Also intr.: (of a note) to alter in pitch.Cf.bendn.⁴ Additions.1948R. O. Boyer inNew Yorker 3 July 32/1You must be very, very, very careful not to use the bell. Use the valves. Then what you hit will bend.1974S. DelanyDhalgren iii. 225Notes bent like blues and slid, chromatically, from mode to austere mode.1999New Yorker 10 May 65/1He bends notes down, inverts the melody, spreads out the pitches of the chords, leans on a single note while the chords change around it.▸ trans.N.Amer.slang. to bend (a person) out of shape. In pass.To be intoxicated with alcohol or narcotics;cf.bentadj.Additions.1949Waukesha (Wisconsin) Daily Freeman 12 Sept. 6/3There's what looks like a burned-up car parked outside the VFW post... The car doesn't seem to have been in an accident, so our informant figures it must have been somebody else who got all bent out of shape.1971Red Bluff (Calif.) Daily News 11 Feb. 3/3Why are you hung up on a clown who would rather get bent out of shape in a bar than spend an evening with you?1982W. R. DunnFighter Pilot (1996) iii. 46Old Lovely, bent out of shape with giggle soup, lay on top of an upright piano near the bar door, and when anyone entered he poured beer on their heads.To annoy, upset; to disconcert. Usu. in pass.1955Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune 5 Nov. 4/1There were plenty of fans bent out of shape trying to dodge the rain drops and brisk breeze blowing across the stadium as they huddled in the rain-soaked stands.1967Lima (Ohio) News 11 June c4/4If he is really ‘bent out of shape’, a person may ‘throw a show’—make a scene.1975C. W. SmithCountry Music ix. 259It came to me in a flash the perfect way to bend that entire Bible-thumping crew completely out of shape!1997M. FabiWyrm v. 142But he was bent out of shape even before Dan said anything about cracking Macrobyte.