TEND • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Tend

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verb

Tend v. t. (O. Eng. Law) To make a tender of; to offer or tender. (Obs.)

Tend v. t. (past & past part. tended; pres. part. tending)

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. "And flaming ministers to watch and tend Their earthly charge." "There 's not a sparrow or a wren, There 's not a blade of autumn grain, Which the four seasons do not tend And tides of life and increase lend."

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."

To tend a vessel (Naut.), to manage an anchored vessel when the tide turns, so that in swinging she shall not entangle the cable.

Tend v. i.

To wait, as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend; with on or upon. "Was he not companion with the riotous knights That tend upon my father?"

To await; to expect. (Obs.)

Tend v. i.

To move in a certain direction; usually with to or towards. "Two gentlemen tending towards that sight." "Thus will this latter, as the former world, Still tend from bad to worse." "The clouds above me to the white Alps tend."

To be directed, as to any end, object, or purpose; to aim; to have or give a leaning; to exert activity or influence; to serve as a means; to contribute; as, our petitions, if granted, might tend to our destruction. "The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want." "The laws of our religion tend to the universal happiness of mankind."

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Etymology of 'Tend'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Tend" Quotes from Famous Books

... Leibnitzian law of continuity and intellectualism did not permit of such an interpretation. Obscurity and clarity are here to be understood as quantitative grades of a single form of knowledge, the distinct or intellectual, toward which they both tend and reach at a superior grade. Though artists judge with confused perceptions, which are clear but not distinct, these may yet be corrected and proved true by intellective knowledge. The intellect clearly ...

— Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic • Benedetto Croce

... with the history and manner of life of our ancestors. The Smiths were once smiths, the Browns dark in complexion; and so, if we could only trace it, every name would reveal some inner significance, from Adam (red earth) downwards. Why do publishers tend to "n" in their names'? Some of the chief London publishers run to a final "n"—Macmillan, Longman, Chapman; Hodder & Stoughton; Hutchinson & Co.; Sampson Low, Marston & Co.; Lawrence & Bullen; Fisher Unwin; Heinemann. The last, indeed, is nothing ...

— Without Prejudice • Israel Zangwill

... him was lost, and even his speech continued embarrassed in the pronunciation of certain words, as his features were slightly distorted. Nor did the events which accumulated upon him, both at home and abroad, by abstracting him from painful subjects, tend to facilitate his recovery. The duchess, not less the slave of caprice now than formerly, managed to involve herself in a serious misunderstanding with the king, and withdrew, in consequence, her attendance on a court where her presence ...

— The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction - Vol. 19, Issue 550, June 2, 1832 • Various

... there. An eye must, anywhere, have a sensitive retina, an adjustable lens, and an adjustable device for controlling the entrance of light. Similarly there are certain functions that the body of an intelligent creature must serve which naturally tend to make intelligent creatures similar. He must have a ...

— The Ultimate Weapon • John Wood Campbell

... have seen I cannot conceive of any European being captivated with them. The whole of my experience goes toward proving that civilization alone produces beauty, and exposure to the weather and other vicissitudes tend to the production of deformation ...

— The Personal Life Of David Livingstone • William Garden Blaikie

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