See Also: bend(3)(dictionary)
bend(2)(dictionary)
bend(medicine)
bend(4)(dictionary)
bend(1)(dictionary)
S-bend(dictionary)
South Bend(encyclopedia)
bend 1, verb(dictionary)
South Bend(tourism)
bend 2, noun(dictionary)

bend(4) (iou)



bend verb. .
[Old English bendan = Old Norse benda, from Germanic, from base of BAND noun1.]
I. Constrain; bow, curve.
verb trans. Put in bonds. Only in OE.
verb trans. Bring (a bow etc.) into tension by a string; fig. tighten, wind up, brace. Freq. foll. by up. OE.
Shakespeare Henry V Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit To his full height. Sir W. Scott Her whole mind apparently bent up to the solemn interview.
b. Nautical. Tie, fasten on, make fast. LME.
R. L. Stevenson He had with his own hand bent and run up the colours.
verb trans. Force (a thing having some rigidity) out of straightness or normal form; bow, curve, crook, inflect. ME.
J. Gerard Branches..so easie to be bent or bowed, that hereof they make Hoops. Dickens His form is bent by age. A. Ransome He stooped and bent his long legs and worked his way through the tunnel. Harper Lee Mrs Crenshaw took some chicken wire and bent it into the shape of a cured ham. T. E. Hulme To bend the steel out of its own curve and into the exact curve you want.
verb intrans. Assume or receive a curved or angled form; curve over from an erect position. LME.
Dryden The waving Harvest bends beneath his blast. F. O'Brien He..roosted on its slender perch till it bowed beneath him and bent till it slammed him to the ground.
verb intrans. spec. Of a person: incline the body, stoop; bow, esp. in submission; fig. yield (to), be pliant or subservient. LME.
Milton Who hate the Lord should then be fain To bow to him and bend. Lytton He bent down and kissed her cheek. C. Mackenzie His thin body bending over the table like a tall black note of interrogation. C. Freeman She missed Jacob terribly and berated herself for not being able to bend to his will.
verb trans. Cause (a person, the will, etc.) to bow, stoop, incline, or relent. LME.
Ld Macaulay The spirit of the rustic gentry was not to be bent. J. W. Krutch He has learned her [Nature's] laws and can bend her to his will, making her serve his purposes, not hers.
verb trans. Turn away from the straight line; deflect, turn. E16.
J. Bronowski Blue [light] is bent or refracted more than red.
verb trans. Pervert, make illicit or dishonest (now slang); modify or interpret (rules etc.) to suit oneself. (rare before M19.) M16.
Observer There are honest landladies..who let a flat to someone they think is an ordinary girl, who then proceeds to 'bend' it: uses it for prostitution. Times Trying to get other members of the European Community to 'bend the rules' so that exports can be resumed.
verb trans. & intrans. Incline in mind. M16-M18.
verb intrans. Have a direction away from the straight line; incline, trend. L16.
Longfellow And now the land..Bent southward suddenly.
II. Direct, aim.
verb intrans. (arch.) & trans. Direct or turn (one's way, steps, etc.). LME.
Shakespeare All's Well For thence we came And..Thither we bend again. Milton Thither his course he bends Through the calm Firmament.
verb trans. Apply or bring to bear (one's mind, energies, etc.) on or upon. E16.
A. J. Cronin Immobilized suddenly, his attention bent upon the sheet before him. D. J. Enright He bends his strength against the flood. H. J. Laski Yet it was a great work to which they bent their effort.
b. verb refl. & intrans. Apply oneself to or to do. arch. L16.
Bunyan If any shall..bend themselves to disappoint the designs of the Eternal God. E. K. Kane Bending to our oars.
verb trans. Aim or level (weapons, forces, etc.; against or at). M16-E19.
Spenser So bent his speare and spurd his horse. O. Cromwell They bent their guns at the frigate.
verb trans. Direct or turn (one's eyes, on something seen; one's ears, to something heard). L16.
Milton And to my cries..Thine ear with favor bend. Southey Every eye on her was bent.
verb trans. fig. & gen. Direct or turn (against, on, to(wards), etc.). L16.
William Collins To Britain bend his iron Car. E. Welty [He] bent on her his benign smile.
Phrases: bend one's elbow slang = crook one's elbow s.v. CROOK verb 1. bend over put oneself into position to be thrashed on the buttocks. bend over backward(s): see BACKWARD adverb 1. bend someone's ear importune someone with persistent talk; have a word with someone. bend the brow(s) (a) arch the eyebrows; (b) knit the brow; scowl. bend the head, bend the face bow the head. bend the rules; see RULE noun. catch a person bending colloq. catch a person at a disadvantage. on bended knee(s) kneeling, esp. in reverence, supplication, or submission.
bendable adjective E17.