tend

verb
/ˈtɛnd/

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

  1. derived from tendere
  2. derived from tendre
  3. inherited from *tenden

Definitions

  1. To make a tender of

    To make a tender of; to offer or tender.

  2. To be likely, or probable to do something, or to have a certain habit or leaning.

    • They tend to go out on Saturdays.
    • It tends to snow here in winter.
    • I was tending to get up later and later after the breakup.
  3. To contribute to or toward some outcome.

    • 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.
  4. + 7 more definitions
    1. To look after (e.g. an ill person.)

      • We need to tend to the garden, which has become a mess.
    2. To accompany as an assistant or protector

      To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard.

      • Shepherds tend their flocks.
      • 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.
      • 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 wait (upon), as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend.

      • Was he not companion with the riotous knights / That tend upon my father?
    4. To await

      To await; to expect.

      • Had I not. Four or five women once that tended me?
    5. To be attentive to

      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.
    6. To manage (an anchored vessel) when the tide turns, to prevent it from entangling the…

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

    7. To kindle

      To kindle; ignite; set on fire; light; inflame; burn.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at tend. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01tend02offer03definite04determined05dogged06persevering07tending

A definitional loop anchored at tend. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

7 hops · closes at tend

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA