Etymology

mend

M3E1N1D2

Today it means: To physically repair (something that is broken, defaced, decayed, torn, or otherwise damaged). Full definition →

Middle English menden ← Anglo-Norman amender ← Old French amender
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mend · verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mend-“defect; fault”
  2. Latin · derived fromēmendāre
  3. Old French · derived fromamender“to cure; to fix, repair; to set right, correct”
  4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromamender
  5. Middle English · inherited frommenden“to cure; to do good to, benefit; to do or make better, improve; to get better, recover; to keep in a good state; to put right, amend; to reform, repent”
  6. English todaymend

From Middle English menden (“to cure; to do good to, benefit; to do or make better, improve; to get better, recover; to keep in a good state; to put right, amend; to reform, repent”), the aphetic form of amenden (“to alter, change (especially for the better); to atone; to chastise, punish; to correct, remedy, amend; to cure; to excel, surpass; to forgive; to get or make better, improve; to make ready; to mend, repair, restore; to get well, recover; to relieve”), or from its etymon Anglo-Norman amender and Old French amender (“to cure; to fix, repair; to set right, correct”) (modern French amender), from Latin ēmendāre, the present active infinitive of ēmendō (“to atone; to chastise, punish; to correct, remedy, amend; to cure”), from ē- (variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’)) + mendum (“defect; error, fault”) (from Proto-Indo-European *mend- (“defect; fault”)) + -ō (suffix forming first-conjugation verbs).

mend · noun2

  1. Old French · derived fromamende“a fine”
  2. Middle French · derived fromamende
  3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromamende
  4. Middle English · inherited frommend
  5. English todaymend

Partly: * (chiefly etymology 2 sense 2 (“recompense; restoration or reparation”)) from Middle English mend, mende (“cure, remedy; damages, recompense; atonement; penance; relief”), the aphetic form of amende, amendes (“retribution, amends; a fine; atonement; penance”) (though attested slightly earlier); or directly from its etymon Anglo-Norman amende, Middle French amende, and Old French amende (“a fine”) (modern French amende), from amender (verb) (see etymology 1); and * from mend (verb).

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchamender all →

amend

Proto-Indo-European*mend- all →

mendacity

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.