tend

• IPA^(key): /tɛnd/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɛnd

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

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 habit or leaning. [from mid-14th c.]

   They tend to go out on Saturdays.

   It tends to snow here in winter.

3. (intransitive) To contribute to or toward some outcome.
   • 1812, William Cobbett, The Parliamentary History of England:

     The Lords in 1722 declared that annexing such Clauses tends to the destruction of this government. And yet there are such bills every session and you pass them.

• In sense 2, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive.
• See Appendix:English catenative verbs

• tendency

• tense
• tension
• tent
• intend

• be given to

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

• 'tend (obsolete)

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 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.

   • 1847, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Threnody:

     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.

   • 1859, Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (1859) :

     Man selects only for his own good; Nature only for that of the being which she tends.

3. To wait (upon), as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     Was he not companion with the riotous knights / That tend upon my father?

4. (obsolete) To await; to expect.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     Had I not. Four or five women once that tended me?

5. (obsolete) To be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to.
   • 1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615, →OCLC; republished in The Odysseys of Homer, […], volumes (please specify the book number), London: John Russell Smith, […], 1857, →OCLC:

     Being to descend / A ladder much in height, I did not tend / My way well down.

     The spelling has been modernized.

6. (transitive, nautical) To manage (an anchored vessel) when the tide turns, to prevent it from entangling the cable when swinging.

• (to look after): care for, minister to, nurse, see to, take care of
• (to accompany as an assistant): guard, look after, watch
• (to wait upon): See also Thesaurus:serve
• (to await): See also Thesaurus:wait for
• (to be attentive to): attend to
• (to manage when the tide turns):

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 ignite”), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (tandjan, “to kindle”), Icelandic tendra (“to ignite”), German zünden (“to light, ignite, fire”). Related to tinder.

• teend, tende, tind, tinde, teen
• teind, tynd, tynde, tine (Scotland)

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.

• atend, attend

• “tend”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “tend”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “tend”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• Dent, dent

• dend

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

tend (aorist denda, participle dendë)

1. to stuff, cram, to compress

• dynd
• trys

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tend

1. third-person singular present indicative of tendre

• dent

tend

1. Alternative form of tenthe