rend
/ɹɛnd/ verb, noun
Forms rends rending rent rended
- verb (transitive) To separate into parts with force or sudden violence; to split; to burst. “Powder rends a rock in blasting.”
- verb (transitive, figurative) To violently disturb the peace of; to throw into chaos. “a scream that rent the air”
- verb (transitive) To part or tear off forcibly; to take away by force; to amputate.
- verb (intransitive) To be rent or torn; to become parted; to separate; to split. “Relationships may rend if tempers flare.”
- noun A violent separation of parts.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English renden, from Old English rendan (“to rend, tear, cut, lacerate, cut down”), from Proto-West Germanic *(h)randijan (“to tear”), of uncertain origin. Believed by some to be the causative of Proto-Germanic *hrindaną (“to push”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱret-, *kret- (“to hit, beat”), which would make it related to Old English hrindan (“to thrust, push”). Cognate with Scots rent (“to rend, tear”), Old Frisian renda (“to tear”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To separate into parts with force or sudden violence; to tear asunder; to split; to burst; as, powder rends a rock in blasting; lightning rends an oak. The dreadful thunder Doth rend the region. Shak.
- verb To part or tear off forcibly; to take away by force.
- verb To be rent or torn; to become parted; to sepparate; to split.
Etymology [AS. rendan, hrendan; cf. OFries. renda, randa, Fries.renne to cut, rend, Icel. hrinda to push, thrust, AS. hrindan; or cf. Icel. r to rob, plunder, Ir. rannaim to divide, share, part, W. rhanu, Armor. ranna.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rend”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details