band

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bænd/^[1]

Etymology

The word combines several sources.^[2][3][4] In the sense of something that binds it is inherited from Middle English band, bond,^[4][5][6] borrowed from Old Norse band (“cord that binds”),^[4][2][6][7] from Proto-Germanic *bandą,^[8][9] from *bindaną (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind”).^[2][3][9] It replaced the native Old English bend (“bond, fetter”).^[2][8] The sense of a flat strip came in the late 14th century from Old French bande, earlier bende (“strip, edge, side”), of Germanic origin from the same root.^[2][4][10] The sense of a group came in the late 15th century from Middle French bande (“troop”),^[2][4][5] probably from Old Occitan banda,^[5][6] of Germanic origin, related to Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌰 (bandwa, “sign, standard”) and to banner;^[5][4][7] the troop may have been named from a band of cloth worn as a mark by soldiers,^[2][4] or from the banner under which it fought.^[4][6] Random House derives this band through Italian banda.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

Something that binds: a shackle, chain or fetter (1126 in Barnhart; c. 1200 in the OED).^[4][12]

Semantic evolution

The binding senses (a fetter, a string tying sheaves, a hinge) came first,^[12][10] and most figurative ones, such as a legal or moral obligation, later passed to bond, which began as a variant of band.^[2][8] The sense of a flat strip of material came from French in the late 14th century,^[2] and the two words merged in English once the final -e was lost.^[2] A band was soon also a stripe of colour (1470) and, from 1552, a strip forming part of a garment;^[13][4] from 1568 it named a shirt's collar, and in the plural the two strips hanging from the collar of clerical, legal or academic dress.^[12][13][14] The electronics sense, a range of frequencies or wavelengths, dates from 1922.^[2] The group sense first meant an organized company of armed men, robbers or the like (1490, in Caxton).^[9][12] A band of musicians is recorded from about 1660,^[4][2][12] at first the musicians attached to an army regiment, who played instruments that could be carried on the march.^[2][15] In North America a band is also a herd or flock (1824).^[12][10] The phrase to beat the band, to drown out its noise and so to surpass everything, dates from 1897.^[2][12]

Timeline

• 1126 – something that binds (Barnhart).^[4]
• c. 1200 – a fetter, shackle (OED).^[12]
• late 14th century – a flat strip; a stripe of colour.^[2]
• 1490 – an organized company of armed men.^[4][12]
• 1530 – as a verb, to unite in a group.^[4][12]
• 1552 – a strip forming part of a garment.^[4][13]
• 1568 – a collar; later, the bands of clerical dress.^[12][13]
• c. 1660 – a company of musicians.^[4][2][12]
• 1824 – a herd or flock (North America).^[12]
• 1914 – to fit a bird with an identifying band.^[12][2]
• 1922 – a range of frequencies.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A thin, flat strip of flexible material used to encircle, bind or hold things together.
2. A stripe or strip that differs in colour or texture from what surrounds it.
3. A strip of fabric used to trim, finish or strengthen clothing; a collar, and in the plural the two strips hanging from a cleric's or lawyer's collar.
4. A plain ring, especially a wedding ring.
5. Something that binds or restrains morally or legally; a bond (archaic).
6. A range of values, such as frequencies or wavelengths, between two limits.
7. A group of people acting together, such as a body of armed men or outlaws.
8. A group of animals; in North America, a herd or flock.
9. A group of musicians who play together, especially on wind and percussion instruments, or a rock or pop group.

Verb

1. To tie, bind or encircle with a band.
2. To mark with a band or stripe; to fit a bird or animal with an identifying band.
3. To unite or join together in a group (often with together).
4. To group or rank people, such as pupils or taxpayers, into bands.

Word family

• bander
• bandless
• bandmaster
• bandmate
• bandsman
• bandstand
• bandwagon
• big band

Related words

• bind
• bond
• bend
• banner
• bandage
• bandanna
• disband
• ribbon

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
10. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
13. ^ a b c d Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
14. ^ Skeat, Walter W.; Mayhew, A. L. (1914), A Glossary of Tudor and Stuart Words, Oxford: Clarendon Press
15. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press