“mends” is a form of
mend
/mɛnd/ verb, noun
Forms mends mending mended mendest mendedst mendeth
- verb To physically repair (something that is broken, defaced, decayed, torn, or otherwise damaged). “My trousers have a big rip in them and need mending.”
- verb To add fuel to (a fire).
- verb To correct or put right (an error, a fault, etc.); to rectify, to remedy.
- verb To put (something) in a better state; to ameliorate, to improve, to reform, to set right. “Her stutter was mended by a speech therapist.”
- verb To remove fault or sin from (someone, or their behaviour or character); to improve morally, to reform.
- verb In mend one's pace: to adjust (a pace or speed), especially to match that of someone or something else; also, to quicken or speed up (a pace).
- verb (archaic) To correct or put right the defects, errors, or faults of (something); to amend, to emend, to fix.
- verb (archaic) To increase the quality of (someone or something); to better, to improve on; also, to produce something better than (something else).
- noun An act of repairing. “My trousers have a big rip in them and need a mend.”
- noun A place in a thing (such as a tear in clothing) which has been repaired.
- noun Chiefly in on the mend: improvement in health; recovery from illness.
- noun (obsolete, uncountable) Recompense; restoration or reparation, especially (Christianity) from sin.
Synonyms
amend correct fix fix up furbish retrieve make whole patch put to rights rectify recondition reform refurbish remediate remedy renew renovate restore restrive revamp darn repair fixing fixture mending reparation bushel doctor furbish up touch on
Etymology
From Middle English menden (“to cure; to do good to, benefit; to do or make better, improve; to get better, recover; to keep in a good state; to put right, amend; to reform, repent”), the aphetic form of amenden (“to alter, change (especially for the better); to atone; to chastise, punish; to correct, remedy, amend; to cure; to excel, surpass; to forgive; to get or make better, improve; to make ready; to mend, repair, restore; to get well, recover; to relieve”), or from its etymon Anglo-Norman amender and Old French amender (“to cure; to fix, repair; to set right, correct”) (modern French amender), from Latin ēmendāre, the present active infinitive of ēmendō (“to atone; to chastise, punish; to correct, remedy, amend; to cure”), from ē- (variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’)) + mendum (“defect; error, fault”) (from Proto-Indo-European *mend- (“defect; fault”)) + -ō (suffix forming first-conjugation verbs).
* (chiefly etymology 2 sense 2 (“recompense; restoration or reparation”)) from Middle English mend, mende (“cure, remedy; damages, recompense; atonement; penance; relief”), the aphetic form of amende, amendes (“retribution, amends; a fine; atonement; penance”) (though attested slightly earlier); or directly from its etymon Anglo-Norman amende, Middle French amende, and Old French amende (“a fine”) (modern French amende), from amender (verb) (see etymology 1); and
* from mend (verb).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To repair, as anything that is torn, broken, defaced, decayed, or the like; to restore from partial decay, injury, or defacement; to patch up; to put in shape or order again; to re-create; as, to mend a garment or a machine.
- verb To alter for the better; to set right; to reform; hence, to quicken; as, to mend one's manners or pace.
- verb To grow better; to advance to a better state; to become improved. Shak.
Etymology [Abbrev. fr. amend. See Amend.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mend”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details