wend

Etymology

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”), Norwegian Bokmål vende (“to turn”), Norwegian Nynorsk venda (“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 (Etymology 2).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /wɛnd/
• Rhymes: -ɛnd

Verb

wend (third-person singular simple present wends, present participle wending, simple past and past participle wended or (archaic) went)

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.

   • Surrey

     Great voyages to wend.

3. (intransitive, obsolete) To turn; make a turn; go round; veer.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Walter Raleigh to this entry?)

4. (intransitive, obsolete) To pass away; disappear; depart; vanish.

Noun

wend (plural wends)

1. (obsolete, Britain, law) A large extent of ground; a perambulation; a circuit.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Burrill to this entry?)

Noun

wend

1. (Rimella, Campello Monti) wind

References

• Umberto Patuzzi, ed., (2013) Ünsarne Börtar [Our Words]. Luserna: Comitato unitario delle linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

wend

1. first-person singular present indicative of wenden
2. imperative of wenden