Wend

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -É›nd

Origin

From Middle English wenden, from Old English wendan ("to turn, direct, wend one’s way, go, return, change, alter, vary, restore, happen, convert, translate"), from Proto-Germanic *wandijaną ("to turn"), causative of Proto-Germanic *windaną ("to wind"), from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- ("to turn, wind, braid"). Cognate with Dutch wenden ("to turn"), German wenden ("to turn, reverse"), Danish vende ("to turn"), Swedish vända ("to turn, turn over, veer, direct"), Icelandic venda ("to wend, turn, change"), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wandjan, "to cause to turn"). Related to wind.

Full definition of wend

Verb

1. (transitive, obsolete) To turn; change.
2. (transitive) To direct (one's way or course); pursue one's way; proceed upon some course or way.We wended our weary way westward.
• SurreyGreat voyages to wend.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To turn; make a turn; go round; veer.
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To pass away; disappear; depart; vanish.

Usage notes

The modern past tense of wend is wended. Originally it was went, similarly to pairs such as send/sent, spend/spent, lend/lent, rend/rent, or blend/blent. However, went was long ago coöpted as the past tense of go (replacing Old English eode) and using it as the past tense of wend is now considered archaic.

Synonyms

• to betake oneself

Related terms

• wind

Noun

1. (obsolete, UK, legal) A large extent of ground; a perambulation; a circuit.