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Webster 1913 Edition

Tend

Tend

,
Verb.
T.
[See
Tender
to offer.]
(O. Eng. Law)
To make a tender of; to offer or tender.
[Obs.]

Tend

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Tended
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Tending
.]
[Aphetic form of
attend
. See
Attend
,
Tend
to move, and cf.
Tender
one that tends or attends.]
1.
To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard;
as, shepherds
tend
their flocks
.
Shak.
And flaming ministers to watch and
tend

Their earthly charge.
Milton.
There ’s not a sparrow or a wren,
There 's not a blade of autumn grain,
Which the four seasons do not
tend

And tides of life and increase lend.
Emerson.
2.
To be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to.
Being to descend
A ladder much in height, I did not
tend

My way well down.
Chapman.
To tend a vessel
(Naut.)
,
to manage an anchored vessel when the tide turns, so that in swinging she shall not entangle the cable.

Tend

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To wait, as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend; – with on or upon.
Was he not companion with the riotous knights
That
tend
upon my father?
Shakespeare
2.
[F.
attendre
.]
To await; to expect.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Tend

,
Verb.
I.
[F.
tendre
, L.
tendere
,
tensum
and
tentum
, to stretch, extend, direct one's course, tend; akin to Gr. [GREEK] to stretch, Skr.
tan
. See
Thin
, and cf.
Tend
to attend,
Contend
,
Intense
,
Ostensible
,
Portent
,
Tempt
,
Tender
to offer,
Tense
,
Adj.
]
1.
To move in a certain direction; – usually with to or towards.
Two gentlemen
tending
towards that sight.
Sir H. Wotton.
Thus will this latter, as the former world,
Still
tend
from bad to worse.
Milton.
The clouds above me to the white Alps
tend
.
Byron.
2.
To be directed, as to any end, object, or purpose; to aim; to have or give a leaning; to exert activity or influence; to serve as a means; to contribute;
as, our petitions, if granted, might
tend
to our destruction
.
The thoughts of the diligent
tend
only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
Prov. xxi. 5.
The laws of our religion
tend
to the universal happiness of mankind.
Tillotson.

Webster 1828 Edition

Tend

TEND

,
Verb.
T.
[contracted from attend, L. attendo; ad and tendo, to stretch.]
1.
To watch; to guard; to accompany as an assistant or protector.
And flaming ministers to watch and tend
Their earthly charge--
There is a pleasure in that simplicity, in beholding princes tending their flocks.
2.
To hold and take care of; as, to tend a child.
3.
To be attentive to.
Unsuck'd of lamb or kid that tend their play.

TEND

,
Verb.
T.
[L. tendo; teneo.]
1.
To move in a certain direction.
Having overheard two gentlemen tending towards that sight--
Here Dardanus was born, and hither tends.
2.
To be directed to any end or purpose; to aim at; to have or give a leaning.
The laws of our religion tend to the universal happiness of mankind.
3.
To contribute. Our petitions, if granted, might tend to our destruction.
4.
[for attend.] To attend; to wait as attendants or servants.
He tends upon my father. [Colloquial.]
5.
To attend as something inseparable. [Not in use.]
6.
To wait; to expect. [Not in use.]
7.
To swing round an anchor, as a ship.

Definition 2024

tend

tend

English

Alternative forms

Verb

tend ‎(third-person singular simple present tends, present participle tending, simple past and past participle tended)

  1. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To kindle; ignite; set on fire; light; inflame; burn.
Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English *tenden, from Old French tendre ‎(“to stretch, stretch out, hold forth, offer, tender”), from Latin tendere ‎(“to strech, stretch out, extend, spread out”).

Verb

tend ‎(third-person singular simple present tends, present participle tending, simple past and past participle tended)

  1. (law, Old English law) To make a tender of; to offer or tender.
  2. (followed by a to infinitive) To be likely, or probable to do something, or to have a certain characteristic. [from the mid-14th c.]
    They tend to go out on Saturdays.
    It tends to snow here in winter.
Usage notes
  • In sense 2. this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive.
  • See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Derived terms
Translations

See also

  • be given to

Etymology 3

From Middle English tenden, by apheresis of attenden ‎(“to attend”). More at attend.

Verb

tend ‎(third-person singular simple present tends, present participle tending, simple past and past participle tended)

  1. (with to) To look after (e.g. an ill person.) [from the early 14th c.]
    We need to tend to the garden, which has become a mess.
  2. To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard.
    Shepherds tend their flocks.
    • Emerson
      There's not a sparrow or a wren, / There's not a blade of autumn grain, / Which the four seasons do not tend / And tides of life and increase lend.
  3. To wait (upon), as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend.
    • Shakespeare
      Was he not companion with the riotous knights / That tend upon my father?
  4. (obsolete) To await; to expect.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  5. (obsolete) To be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to.
    • Chapman
      Being to descend / A ladder much in height, I did not tend / My way well down.
  6. (transitive, nautical) To manage (an anchored vessel) when the tide turns, to prevent it from entangling the cable when swinging.
Translations

Anagrams

Albanian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *tend-, from Proto-Indo-European *ten-d- 'to distend; draw, strech (out)'. Cognate to Latin tendo ‎(“to strech (out), strain”). Present dendë with assimilation of the anlaut[1].

Verb

tend ‎(first-person singular past tense denda, participle dendë)

  1. to stuff, cram, to compress
Related terms

References

  1. ↑ Albanische Etymologien (Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz), Bardhyl Demiraj, Leiden Studies in Indo-European 7; Amsterdam - Atlanta 1997, p.129

French

Verb

tend

  1. third-person singular present indicative of tendre

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English tenden, from Old English tendan ‎(“to kindle, set on fire”) (usually in compounds ātendan, fortendan, ontendan), from Proto-Germanic *tandijaną ‎(“to kindle”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Danish tænde ‎(“to kindle”), Swedish tända ‎(“to kindle”), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 ‎(tandjan, “to kindle”), Icelandic tendra ‎(“to ignite”), German zünden ‎(“to light, ignite, fire”). Related to tinder.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tɛnd/
  • Rhymes: -ɛnd

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