tend
/ˈtɛnd/ verb
Forms tends tending tended 'tend teend tende tind tine
- verb (law) To make a tender of; to offer or tender.
- verb (auxiliary) To be likely, or probable to do something, or to have a certain habit or leaning. “They tend to go out on Saturdays.”
- verb (intransitive) To contribute to or toward some outcome.
- verb (with to) To look after (e.g. an ill person.) “We need to tend to the garden, which has become a mess.”
- verb To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard. “Shepherds tend their flocks.”
- verb To wait (upon), as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend.
- verb (obsolete) To await; to expect.
- verb (obsolete) To be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to.
- verb (transitive, nautical) To manage (an anchored vessel) when the tide turns, to prevent it from entangling the cable when swinging.
- verb (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To kindle; ignite; set on fire; light; inflame; burn.
Synonyms
care for minister to nurse to take care of guard look after watch attend to be given lean incline run
Etymology
From Middle English tenden, from Middle French tendre, from Old French tendre (“to stretch, stretch out, hold forth, offer, tender”), from Latin tendere (“to stretch, stretch out, extend, spread out”).
From Middle English tenden (“to pay attention to”), by apheresis of attenden (“to attend”) or entenden (“to intend”). More at attend and intend.
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.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To make a tender of; to offer or tender. [Obs.]
- verb To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard; as, shepherds tend their flocks. Shak.
- verb 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. Chapman.
- verb To wait, as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend; --with on or upon.
Etymology [See Tender to offer.]
Etymology [Aphetic form of attend. See Attend, Tend to move, and cf. Tender one that tends or attends.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tend”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details