rend Hear it!

rend definition

rend (rend)

transitive verb rent, rending rend′·ing

  1. to tear, pull, or rip with violence: with from, off, away, etc.
  2. to tear, pull apart, rip up, or split with violence [a tree rent by lightning]: often used figuratively [a roar rends the air]
  3. to tear (one's clothing) to show grief, anguish, etc.

Etymology: ME renden < OE rendan, akin to OFris renda < IE base *rendh-, to tear apart > rind, Sans randhram, fissure, split

intransitive verb

to tear; burst; split apart

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.