bent etymology

Etymology

The word "bent" has Old English origins. It comes from the Old English word "bendan," which means "to turn or curve."

Meaning

The word "bent" has several different meanings:

• To turn or curve: This is the original meaning of the word, and it is still used in this sense today. For example, you might say, "I bent the wire into a circle."
• To change direction: When used intransitively, "bent" can mean to change direction. For example, you might say, "The road bent sharply to the right."
• To cause to submit or yield: In a figurative sense, "bent" can mean to cause someone to submit or yield. For example, you might say, "He bent his will to hers."
• An inclination or tendency: The word "bent" can also be used to refer to an inclination or tendency. For example, you might say, "He has a bent for music."

Origin

The Old English word "bendan" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhendh-, which means "to bind." This root is also the origin of the English words "band" and "bind."

bent relate terms

• bend

  Etymology The word bend has multiple etymological origins Old English bendan to

• band

  Etymology The word band comes from the Old English word bend which originally meant

• bind

  Etymology Old English bindan Proto Germanic bindan Proto Indo European s bhendh

• bond

  Etymology The word bond derives from the Old English word band which meant a tie o

• bund

  Etymology Middle English bund from Old Norse buntr bundr meaning bundle or coll

• crooked

  Etymology Middle English croked from Old English croced crocod probably of Germanic

• crook

  Etymology The word crook is derived from the Old English word croc which meant a h

• hell bent

  Etymology of Hell Bent Hell bent is an idiom that originated in the 16th century It

• hell

  Etymology The word hell originates from the Proto Germanic word halja meaning a hidde

• bent

  Etymology The word bent has Old English origins It comes from the Old English word be

• knack

  Etymology The English word knack is derived from the Middle English word knakken me

• hang

• retort

  Etymology The word retort has two etymological roots Latin retorquere meaning to

• flexible

  Etymology Latin flexibilis from flexus meaning bent curved Proto Indo Europea

• varus

  Etymology and Origin of Varus Latin Origin The term varus is derived from the Lat

• inflexible

  Etymology Latin inflexibilis in not flexibilis bendable Meaning Unable

• straighten

  Etymology Old English streht adjective streccan verb Proto West Germanic strekjan

• stoop

  Etymology The word stoop has Old English origins deriving ultimately from the Proto Ge

• indent

  Etymology Old French endenture from dent tooth ure action result Latin