bind English · revision 39766

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=Old English|origins=ine-pro *bʰendʰ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈbaɪ̯nd/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|binden]], [[inh|ang|bindan|t=to tie up, fetter]],^(AHD 2024)^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 2026) [[inh|gem-pro|*bindaną]],^(Etymonline)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Orel 2003) a strong verb of Indo-European origin.^(Kroonen 2013) Its cognates are [[osx|bindan]], [[ofs|binda]], [[non|binda]], [[goh|bintan]], [[de|binden]] and [[got|𐌱𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽|tr=bindan]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 2026)^(Kroonen 2013) The Indo-European root [[ine-pro|*bʰendʰ-|t=to bind]] also gave [[sa|बध्नाति|tr=badhnā́ti|t=binds]] and [[grc|πεῖσμα|tr=peîsma|t=cable, rope]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(Klein 1966)^(Orel 2003) and in English [[band]], [[bend]], [[bond]] and [[bundle]].^(Ayto 2005)^(Weekley 1921) The vowel was short in Old and Middle English, as in the cognates, and was later lengthened before the following consonants.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To tie up with bonds, literally and figuratively, to make captive, and to bandage: Old English, in the Blickling Homilies and the West Saxon Gospels,^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) about 725 in Barnhart, in a translation of Exodus.^(Barnhart 1988) The Old English verb also had the spiritual sense of binding and loosing in Matthew 16:19.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Figurative binding by sickness, sin, love or a spell is recorded from about 1200,^(OED 2026) and the sense of making a bargain or contract fast from a1300,^(OED 2026) from which comes the legal sense, to put someone under an obligation.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024) Binding books is recorded from about 1400.^(Etymonline) Johnson (1755) gave the medical sense, to make costive, which the OED dates from 1597,^(Johnson 1755)^(OED 2026) and the intransitive sense, to stick together, dates from the 1670s.^(Etymonline) The noun, anything that binds, is late Old English,^(Etymonline)^(OED 2026) and since about 1400 it has also named the climbing stem of the hop, later spelled ''bine''.^(OED 2026)^(Ayto 2005) An awkward or tight situation, as in the phrase ''be in a bind'', is recorded from 1851;^(Etymonline) Barnhart notes that the noun survived beside ''band'' only in such special uses.^(Barnhart 1988) In RAF slang from about 1920 the verb meant to bore, and the noun a bore or nuisance.^(GDoS)^(SOED 2002) In dialect ''bind'' was to tie the bands round sheaves at harvest, and the noun was a twisted band of hay or a withy.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c725 – ''bindan'', to tie up.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * Old English – noun, a band or tie.^(OED 2026)

+ * c1200 – figurative, of sin or a spell.^(OED 2026)

+ * a1300 – to make a bargain fast.^(OED 2026)

+ * c1400 – to bind books.^(Etymonline)

+ * c1400 – the stem of the hop.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1597 – to make costive.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1670s – to stick together.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1851 – noun, a tight situation.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1922 – (RAF slang) to bore.^(GDoS)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To tie or fasten someone or something tightly, as with rope: ''They bound the prisoner's hands.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # To wrap or encircle with a band or [[bandage]]: ''The nurse bound up the wound.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # To put under a legal or moral [[obligation]]: ''The treaty binds both states.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # To fasten the pages of a book together and put them in a cover.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # To hold together or cause to [[cohere]]: ''Egg binds the mixture.''^(Collins 2023)^(Etymonline)

+ # (British slang) To bore; also, to complain at length.^(GDoS)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # (informal) A difficult or awkward situation: ''We are in a bit of a bind.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)

+ # (British informal) A [[nuisance]] or bore.^(Collins 2023)^(SOED 2002)

+ # (music) A [[tie]] joining two notes of the same pitch.^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002)

+ # The climbing stem of the hop; a [[bine]].^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bindable]]

+ * [[bindery]]

+ * [[misbind]]

+ * [[rebind]]

+ * [[spellbind]]

+ * [[binder]]

+ * [[hidebound]]

+ * [[unbind]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[band]]

+ * [[bend]]

+ * [[bond]]

+ * [[bundle]]

+ * [[bine]]

+ * [[bound]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}