rend

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱret-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hrindaną“to push”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*(h)randijan“to tear”
4. Old English · inherited fromrendan“to rend, tear, cut, lacerate, cut down”
5. Middle English · inherited fromrenden
6. English todayrend

From Middle English renden, from Old English rendan (“to rend, tear, cut, lacerate, cut down”), from Proto-West Germanic *(h)randijan (“to tear”), of uncertain origin. Believed by some to be the causative of Proto-Germanic *hrindaną (“to push”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱret-, *kret- (“to hit, beat”), which would make it related to Old English hrindan (“to thrust, push”). Cognate with Scots rent (“to rend, tear”), Old Frisian renda (“to tear”).