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Webster 1913 Edition

Bent

Bent

(bĕnt)
,
imp.
&
p.
p.
of
Bend
.

Bent

,
Adj.
&
p.
p.
1.
Changed by pressure so as to be no longer straight; crooked;
as, a
bent
pin; a
bent
lever
.
2.
Strongly inclined toward something, so as to be resolved, determined, set, etc.; – said of the mind, character, disposition, desires, etc., and used with on;
as, to be
bent
on going to college; he is
bent
on mischief
.

Bent

,
Noun.
[See
Bend
,
Noun.
&
Verb.
]
1.
The state of being curved, crooked, or inclined from a straight line; flexure; curvity;
as, the
bent
of a bow
.
[Obs.]
Wilkins.
2.
A declivity or slope, as of a hill.
[R.]
Dryden.
3.
A leaning or bias; proclivity; tendency of mind; inclination; disposition; purpose; aim.
Shak.
With a native
bent
did good pursue.
Dryden.
4.
Particular direction or tendency; flexion; course.
Bents
and turns of the matter.
Locke.
5.
(Carp.)
A transverse frame of a framed structure.
6.
Tension; force of acting; energy; impetus.
[Archaic]
The full
bent
and stress of the soul.
Norris.
Syn. – Predilection; turn.
Bent
,
Bias
,
Inclination
,
Prepossession
. These words agree in describing a permanent influence upon the mind which tends to decide its actions. Bent denotes a fixed tendency of the mind in a given direction. It is the widest of these terms, and applies to the will, the intellect, and the affections, taken conjointly; as, the whole bent of his character was toward evil practices. Bias is literally a weight fixed on one side of a ball used in bowling, and causing it to swerve from a straight course. Used figuratively, bias applies particularly to the judgment, and denotes something which acts with a permanent force on the character through that faculty; as, the bias of early education, early habits, etc. Inclination is an excited state of desire or appetency; as, a strong inclination to the study of the law. Prepossession is a mingled state of feeling and opinion in respect to some person or subject, which has laid hold of and occupied the mind previous to inquiry. The word is commonly used in a good sense, an unfavorable impression of this kind being denominated a prejudice. “Strong minds will be strongly bent, and usually labor under a strong bias; but there is no mind so weak and powerless as not to have its inclinations, and none so guarded as to be without its prepossessions.”
Crabb.

Bent

,
Noun.
[AS.
beonet
; akin to OHG.
pinuz
, G.
binse
, rush, bent grass; of unknown origin.]
1.
A reedlike grass; a stalk of stiff, coarse grass.
His spear a
bent
, both stiff and strong.
Drayton.
2.
(Bot.)
A grass of the genus
Agrostis
, esp.
Agrostis vulgaris
, or redtop. The name is also used of many other grasses, esp. in America.
3.
Any neglected field or broken ground; a common; a moor.
[Obs.]
Wright.
Bowmen bickered upon the
bent
.
Chevy Chase.

Webster 1828 Edition

Bent

BENT

,
pp.
Strained; incurvated; made crooked; inclined; subdued.

Definition 2024

Bent

Bent

See also: bent

Danish

Alternative forms

Proper noun

Bent

  1. A male given name.

Related terms

  • (feminine forms) Bente
  • (surnames) Bentsen

References

  • Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 43 180 males with the given name Bent have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 1930s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

Norwegian

Etymology

From Danish Bent, c. 1400.

Proper noun

Bent

  1. A male given name.

bent

bent

See also: Bent

English

Verb

bent

  1. simple past tense and past participle of bend

Adjective

bent ‎(comparative benter or more bent, superlative bentest or most bent)

  1. (Of something that is usually straight) folded, dented
  2. (derogatory, colloquial, chiefly Britain) Homosexual.
  3. Determined or insistent.
    He was bent on going to Texas, but not even he could say why.
    They were bent on mischief.
  4. Of a person, leading a life of crime.
  5. (slang, soccer) inaccurate at shooting
    That shot was so bent it left the pitch.
  6. (colloquial, chiefly US) Suffering from the bends
  7. (slang) High from using both marijuana and alcohol.
    Man, I am so bent right now!
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Noun

bent ‎(plural bents)

  1. An inclination or talent.
    He had a natural bent for painting.
  2. A predisposition to act or react in a particular way.
    His mind was of a technical bent.
  3. The state of being curved, crooked, or inclined from a straight line; flexure; curvity.
    the bent of a bow
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Wilkins to this entry?)
  4. A declivity or slope, as of a hill.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)
  5. Particular direction or tendency; flexion; course.
    • John Locke
      bents and turns of the matter
  6. (carpentry) A transverse frame of a framed structure.
  7. Tension; force of acting; energy; impetus.
    • Norris
      the full bent and stress of the soul
Synonyms
Translations

Etymology 2

Origin uncertain. Apparently representing Old English beonet- (attested only in place-names and personal names), cognate with Old High German binuz (modern German Binse ‎(“rush, reed”)).

Noun

bent ‎(plural bents)

  1. Any of various stiff or reedy grasses.
    • Drayton
      His spear a bent, both stiff and strong.
    • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, ‘The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes’, The Phantom ’Rickshaw and Other Tales, Folio Society 2005, p. 121:
      Gunga Dass gave me a double handful of dried bents which I thrust down the mouth of the lair to the right of his, and followed myself, feet foremost [...].
    • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, chapter 9
      Clusters of strong flowers rose everywhere above the coarse tussocks of bent.
  2. A grassy area, grassland.
    • The Ballad of Chevy Chase
      Bowmen bickered upon the bent.

Synonyms

(grass): bentgrass

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

Created in analogy to Dutch ben ‎(“am”). Modern Dutch bent has replaced the Middle Dutch verb forms bes and best ‎(“(you) are (sg.)”).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bɛnt/
  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Verb

bent

  1. second-person singular present indicative of zijn; are.

References

  1. ↑ A. van Loey, Schönfeld's Historische Grammatica van het Nederlands, 8. druk 1970, ISBN 90-03-21170-1; §147a

Hungarian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈbɛnt]
  • Hyphenation: bent

Adverb

bent

  1. inside

Synonyms

Antonyms

Scots

Alternative forms

  • bynt

Etymology

From Old English beonet, compare Middle English bent.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɛnt/

Noun

bent ‎(plural bents)

  1. (archaic, 14th century) Coarse or wiry grass growing upon moorlands.
  2. (archaic, 15th century) An area covered with coarse or wiry grass; a moor.

Derived terms

Turkish

Etymology

From Persian بند ‎(band).

Noun

bent ‎(definite accusative }}}, plural }}})

  1. dam

Etymology

Medieval contraction of Latin Benedictus. Cognate with Swedish Bengt and English Benedict.

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