Tend Definition

tĕnd

tended, tends

verb

tended, tends

To take care of; minister to; watch over; look after; attend to.

To tend plants or animals, to tend the sick.

Webster's New World

To be in charge of or at work at; manage or operate.

To tend a store.

Webster's New World

To be disposed or inclined.

Tends toward exaggeration.

American Heritage

To have an inclination, tendency, bias, etc. to do something; incline.

Tending to overeat.

Webster's New World

To pay attention; attend.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

idiom

tend on

Webster's New World

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Tend

From Middle English tenden, from Old English tendan (“to kindle, set on fire") (usually in compounds ātendan, fortendan, ontendan), from Proto-Germanic *tandijanÄ… (“to kindle"), of unknown origin. Cognate with Danish tænde (“to kindle"), Swedish tända (“to kindle"), Gothic [script?] (tandjan, “to kindle"), Icelandic tendra (“to ignite"), German zünden (“to light, ignite, fire"). Related to tinder.

From Wiktionary
From Middle English *tenden, from Old French tendre (“to stretch, stretch out, hold forth, offer, tender"), from Latin tendere (“to strech, stretch out, extend, spread out").

From Wiktionary
Middle English tenden from Old French tendre from Latin tendere ten- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Middle English tenden, by apheresis of attenden (“to attend"). More at attend.

From Wiktionary
Middle English tenden short for attenden to wait on attend

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition