tend

tend¹ v.

to be likely to do something;
to happen often:[~ + to + verb]Things tend to happen fast in the city.
(of a person) to be disposed toward an idea, etc.: [~ + to + verb]tends to be optimistic.[~ + to/toward + object]Her philosophy tends toward a belief in many gods.
to lead in a certain direction, or to some result or condition:[no object]Prices tended downwards during the depression.
to have a tendency toward a particular quality:[~ + to/toward + object]This wine tends toward the sweet side.

See -tend-.
tend² v.

to watch over and take care of: [~ + object]to tend a fire.[~ + to + object]Who will tend to the baby?

-tend-, root.

-tend- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "stretch;
stretch out;
extend;
proceed.'' This meaning is found in such words as: attend, contend, distend, extend, intend, portend, pretend, superintend, tend, tendency, tender, tendon.

tend¹ v.i.

to be disposed or inclined in action, operation, or effect to do something:The particles tend to unite.
to be disposed toward an idea, emotion, way of thinking, etc.:He tends to be overly optimistic. Her religious philosophy tends toward pantheism.
to lead or conduce, as to some result or resulting condition:measures tending to improved working conditions; Governments are tending toward democracy.
to be inclined to or have a tendency toward a particular quality, state, or degree:This wine tends toward the sweet side.
(of a journey, course, road, etc.) to lead or be directed in a particular direction (usually fol. by to, toward, etc.):a path tending toward the beach.

tend² v.t.

to attend to by work or services, care, etc.:to tend a fire.
to look after;
watch over and care for;
minister to or wait on with service:to tend the sick.
Nautical, Naval Termsto handle or attend to (a rope).

v.i.

to attend by action, care, etc. (usually fol. by to).
tend on or upon, [Archaic.]to attend or wait upon;
minister to;
serve:She tended on the sick and dying with infinite compassion.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tend /tɛnd/ vb
when intr, usually followed by to or towards:

(when tr, takes an infinitive) to have a general disposition (to do something); be inclined: children tend to prefer sweets to meat
(intransitive) to have or be an influence (towards a specific result); be conducive
(intransitive) to go or move (in a particular direction): to tend to the south

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French tendre, from Latin tendere to stretch

tend /tɛnd/ vb

(transitive) to care for
when intr, often followed by to: to attend (to)
(transitive) to handle or control
(intransitive) often followed by to: informal chiefly US Canadian to pay attention

Etymology: 14th Century: variant of attend

'tend' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Collocations: tend to [agree, disagree] with him, [children, teenagers] tend to [need more time, be more active], tend (not) to think (that), more...

Forum discussions with the word(s) "tend" in the title:

Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

Advertisements

Advertisements

Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com WORD OF THE DAY GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.
Chrome users: Use search shortcuts for the fastest search of WordReference.