unbendv.

Brit.

/(ˌ)ʌnˈbɛnd/, U.S.

/ˌənˈbɛnd/

Etymology: un- prefix² 1a, 1

I. transitive.

a. To release or relax (a bow) from tension; to unstring.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > use of bow and arrow > shoot (arrow) [verb (transitive)] > relax or unstring (bow)

unbendc1290

uncordc1430

c1290 St. John 331 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 412 Þare-aftur sone he nam is bouwe, and unbende it ase he couþe.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 483 Lamech wið wreðe is knape nam, Vn-bente is boge and bet and slog.

1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 108 Thanne was I furthest ate laste, And as a foll my bowe unbende.

1413 26 Pol. Poems 53 Pray we god his bowe of wraþþe vnbende.

c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1905) II. 274 Þe apostell askid hym whi it was vnbendid.

c1480 (a1400) St. John Evangelist 481 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 123 Þar-for he [h]is bow vnbent. þane sad sancte Iohne: ‘tel þi entent, quhy þu vnbent þi bow sa sone’.

1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII c. 4 Yf..servauntes..shote with their Crosebowe otherwyse than..to unbend the same.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 766/1 Unbende your bowes, syrs, nowe you come in to the towne.

1614 S. Purchas Pilgrimage (ed. 2) vi. v. 590 Others 3. times vnbent their bows, & thrice again bent them whiles their horses ran.

1627 M. Drayton Battaile Agincourt 61 Their bloody swords they quietly had sheath'd, And their strong bowes already were vnbent.

1832 W. Scott Talisman xii, in Waverley Novels XXXVIII. 213 Unbend [1825 Unbind] thy arblast, and come into the moonlight.

†b. To uncock (a firearm). Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > fire (a gun) [verb (transitive)] > raise cock > lower

unbend1632

uncock1804

1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. viii. 351 Holding vp my hand, and imploring for our liues.., they vnbend their fire-locks, and..did me homage.

†2. To slacken or weaken. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > make less violent or severe [verb (transitive)] > weaken (something immaterial)

to thin off, downc900

feeblea1340

allayc1450

debilite1483

mollify1496

weak1502

geld?1507

water1529

appale?1530

labefact?1539

debilitate1541

mortify1553

effeeble1571

dilutea1575

soften1576

unsinew1599

melt1600

infringe1604

weaken1609

unbenda1616

dissinew1640

slacken1663

thin1670

resolve1715

imbecilitate1809

imbecile1829

to let down1832

to water down1832

a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. ii. 43 You doe vnbend your Noble strength, to thinke So braine-sickly of things.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. iv. 108 Why hast thou gone so farre To be vn-bent ?

1831 G. P. R. James Philip Augustus vi My curse upon time! for he..saps our castles, and unbends our sinews.

3. figurative. To relax, to give relaxation to (one's mind, etc.); to free from serious occupations.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > [verb (transitive)] > relax (the mind, etc.)

relaschc1586

unbend1591

slacken1642

unwind1958

society > leisure > [verb (reflexive)] > relax

unbend1591

relax1685

1591 R. Southwell Marie Magdalens Funeral Teares f. 44^v Vnlesse thou wilt vnbend her thoughtes, that her eyes may fully see thee.

1604 J. Marston Malcontent iii. ii. sig. E^v Thou that..,Vnbendst the feebled vaines of sweatie labour.

1656 A. Cowley To Dr. Scarborough in Pindaric Odes vi Unbend sometimes thy restless care.

1725 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey I. i. 335 Social mirth unbent his serious soul.

1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea II. xxxix. 253 In this palace..the king most unbends his mind.

1839 H. Hallam Introd. Lit. Europe III. vi. 531 The extemporaneous comedy had always been the amusement..of all who wished to unbend their minds.

1856 N. Brit. Rev. 26 217 The mind of the reader is unbent, he puts aside for a time his own cares.

reflexive.1672 W. Wycherley Love in Wood v. ii Men in office too, that adjourn their cares and businesses, to come and unbend themselves at night here.1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 93. ¶10 The Mind never unbends it self so agreeably as in the Conversation of a well chosen Friend.1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson I. Ded. p. vii Dr. Clarke..was unbending himself with a few friends in the most playful and frolicksome manner.1891 ‘L. Falconer’ Mademoiselle Ixe ii. 38 A very different person from the Mademoiselle Ixe who unbent herself with Evelyn.

4. Nautical. To unfasten, untie, undo (a cable, line, or sail).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > other nautical operations > [verb (transitive)] > work ropes or cables in specific ways

windc1550

veer1590

veer1604

rousea1625

heave1626

overhaul1626

ease1627

pay1627

reeve1627

unbend1627

to come up1685

overhale1692

to pay away1769

surge1769

render1777

to pay out1793

to round down1793

to set upon ——1793

swig1794

veer1806

snake1815

to side out for a bend1831

rack1841

snub1841

1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. vii. 30 [To] vnbend the Cable, is..to take it away, which we vsually doe when we are at Sea.

1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 235 We immediately unbent all our Sails..and set up seven or eight Tents with them.

1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 27 We split the Foresail and unbent it, and bent another.

1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §158 We found it equally difficult to get the bridle chain unbent from the swivel.

1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxvi. 285 We unbent the main-sail, and formed an awning with it.

1875 Board of Trade Instr. Saving Life by Rocket Unbend the Rocket Line from the Warp.

1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 124 What ropes are bent and unbent from the sail?

5. To allow or cause (the brow) to relax from a serious, severe, or frowning aspect.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > forehead > [verb (transitive)] > contract or relax

knitc1405

strain1556

unknit1566

unpleat1572

unfret1594

unplaitc1595

smooth1597

uncontract1628

plait1642

to roll into ——1656

unbend1718

gather1790

knot1844

1718 M. Prior Henry & Emma 6 Wilt thou awhile unbend thy serious Brow?

1718 M. Prior Henry & Emma 138 A softer Look unbends his op'ning Brow.

1811 C. Lamb Genius & Char. Hogarth in Wks. (1909) I. 110 The..joke which has unbent his care-worn hard-working visage.

1816 Ld. Byron Parisina xx, in Siege of Corinth 87 But never..smile his brow unbended.

6. To straighten from a bent or curved position; to unfold. Also reflexive.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > straightness > make straight [verb (transitive)]

unfoldc890

evenOE

rightc1275

rectifyc1475

straight1530

unbow1538

straighten1542

unarch1598

uncrisp1598

uncurl1598

undouble1611

untuck1611

unwind1614

bendc1616

unbend1663

unwarp1670

evolve1689

unwrap1859

unkink1891

dekink1957

the world > space > shape > straightness > make straight [verb (reflexive)]

unbend1845

1663 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim xxx They are the Souls whose Prayers God hears, who employ their hands as soon as they have unbent their knees.

1817 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. II. xxiii. 315 These [spines] are of great use in pushing them off when the legs are unbended.

1845 P. Barlow Manuf. in Encycl. Metrop. VIII. 99/2 A spring, which, in order that it may exert any force or give motion to a Machine, must first unbend itself.

1886 N.Z. Herald 8 Nov. 6/5 Three nets were unbent and a number of opening games played.

absolute.1816 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. (1817) II. xxiii. 315 They bend their legs like the grasshoppers, and then unbending kick them out with violence.

II. intransitive or absol.

†7. To abandon an effort or attempt. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > completing > non-completion > abandon an attempt or enterprise [verb (intransitive)]

unbenda1400

unbinda1400

to leave (a person) the field?c1450

to give upa1616

to call (it) quits1851

to pull the pin1860

to hang up one's fiddle1889

to pack in1906

to pack up1925

to cop out1942

to give it away1949

a1400–50 Alexander (Dublin) 1744 For-þi is better vnbende & of þi brathe leue.

a1400–50 Alexander (Dublin) 1974 For-þi it wer better vnbenden or þou bale suffre.

a. To free oneself from constraint or ceremony; to act in an unconstrained or genial manner; to relax one's seriousness or severity.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > social intercourse or companionship > be sociable [verb (intransitive)] > throw off coldness or reserve

thaw1598

untune1609

unbend1746

relax1836

to let (take) one's (back) hair down1850

unbuckle1886

1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles i. xviii. 106 Yet oft at home you can unbend, And even to trifling Sports descend.

1785 W. Cowper Tirocinium in Task 608 Ev'n in his pastimes he requires a friend, To warn, and teach him safely to unbend .

1831 D. E. Williams Life Sir T. Lawrence II. 351 (note) He seemed to unbend, and give way to his humour.

1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1877) II. vii. 28 In private company though he never forgot his rank, he could unbend.

b. Of the features: To lose severity; to relax.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > face with expression or expression > face with expression [verb (intransitive)] > relax

relax1748

unbend1817

1817 W. Scott Rob Roy II. v. 108 His hard features gradually unbent.

1897 A. Dobson Tale of Polypheme in Poems xviii Soon the Child Filled the lone shore with louder merriment, And e'en the Cyclops' heavy brow unbent.

c. To relax in purpose.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] > waver

flecchec1300

waverc1315

remue1340

shake1340

flitc1386

flow1434

falter1521

flitter1543

to waver as, like, with the wind1548

rove1549

float1598

jarga1614

give ground1662

weaken1876

unbend1877

1877 J. C. Geikie Life & Words Christ II. xxxv. 44 His soul never unbent from its grand enthusiasm.

9. To alter from a bend or curve; to become straight or less curved.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > straightness > become straight [verb (intransitive)]

rectify1598

unbend1815

unarch1885

undouble1889

straighten1891

unkink1972

1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 35 The spring, by unbending at the same time, loses a part of its power.

1861 ‘G. Eliot’ Silas Marner xii. 217 But the complete torpor came at last: the fingers lost their tension, the arms unbent.

1869 A. J. Evans Vashti xxx. 421 The brow wore its heavy cloud, and the arch of the lip had not unbent.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1921; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	unbend
释义	unbendv. Brit. /(ˌ)ʌnˈbɛnd/, U.S. /ˌənˈbɛnd/ Etymology: un- prefix² 1a, 1 I. transitive. 1. a. To release or relax (a bow) from tension; to unstring. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > use of bow and arrow > shoot (arrow) [verb (transitive)] > relax or unstring (bow) unbendc1290 uncordc1430 c1290 St. John 331 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 412 Þare-aftur sone he nam is bouwe, and unbende it ase he couþe. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 483 Lamech wið wreðe is knape nam, Vn-bente is boge and bet and slog. 1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 108 Thanne was I furthest ate laste, And as a foll my bowe unbende. 1413 26 Pol. Poems 53 Pray we god his bowe of wraþþe vnbende. c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1905) II. 274 Þe apostell askid hym whi it was vnbendid. c1480 (a1400) St. John Evangelist 481 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 123 Þar-for he [h]is bow vnbent. þane sad sancte Iohne: ‘tel þi entent, quhy þu vnbent þi bow sa sone’. 1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII c. 4 Yf..servauntes..shote with their Crosebowe otherwyse than..to unbend the same. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 766/1 Unbende your bowes, syrs, nowe you come in to the towne. 1614 S. Purchas Pilgrimage (ed. 2) vi. v. 590 Others 3. times vnbent their bows, & thrice again bent them whiles their horses ran. 1627 M. Drayton Battaile Agincourt 61 Their bloody swords they quietly had sheath'd, And their strong bowes already were vnbent. 1832 W. Scott Talisman xii, in Waverley Novels XXXVIII. 213 Unbend [1825 Unbind] thy arblast, and come into the moonlight. †b. To uncock (a firearm). Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > fire (a gun) [verb (transitive)] > raise cock > lower unbend1632 uncock1804 1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. viii. 351 Holding vp my hand, and imploring for our liues.., they vnbend their fire-locks, and..did me homage. †2. To slacken or weaken. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > make less violent or severe [verb (transitive)] > weaken (something immaterial) to thin off, downc900 feeblea1340 allayc1450 debilite1483 mollify1496 weak1502 geld?1507 water1529 appale?1530 labefact?1539 debilitate1541 mortify1553 effeeble1571 dilutea1575 soften1576 unsinew1599 melt1600 infringe1604 weaken1609 unbenda1616 dissinew1640 slacken1663 thin1670 resolve1715 imbecilitate1809 imbecile1829 to let down1832 to water down1832 a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. ii. 43 You doe vnbend your Noble strength, to thinke So braine-sickly of things. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. iv. 108 Why hast thou gone so farre To be vn-bent ? View more context for this quotation 1831 G. P. R. James Philip Augustus vi My curse upon time! for he..saps our castles, and unbends our sinews. 3. figurative. To relax, to give relaxation to (one's mind, etc.); to free from serious occupations. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [verb (transitive)] > relax (the mind, etc.) relaschc1586 unbend1591 slacken1642 unwind1958 society > leisure > [verb (reflexive)] > relax unbend1591 relax1685 1591 R. Southwell Marie Magdalens Funeral Teares f. 44^v Vnlesse thou wilt vnbend her thoughtes, that her eyes may fully see thee. 1604 J. Marston Malcontent iii. ii. sig. E^v Thou that..,Vnbendst the feebled vaines of sweatie labour. 1656 A. Cowley To Dr. Scarborough in Pindaric Odes vi Unbend sometimes thy restless care. 1725 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey I. i. 335 Social mirth unbent his serious soul. 1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea II. xxxix. 253 In this palace..the king most unbends his mind. 1839 H. Hallam Introd. Lit. Europe III. vi. 531 The extemporaneous comedy had always been the amusement..of all who wished to unbend their minds. 1856 N. Brit. Rev. 26 217 The mind of the reader is unbent, he puts aside for a time his own cares. reflexive.1672 W. Wycherley Love in Wood v. ii Men in office too, that adjourn their cares and businesses, to come and unbend themselves at night here.1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 93. ¶10 The Mind never unbends it self so agreeably as in the Conversation of a well chosen Friend.1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson I. Ded. p. vii Dr. Clarke..was unbending himself with a few friends in the most playful and frolicksome manner.1891 ‘L. Falconer’ Mademoiselle Ixe ii. 38 A very different person from the Mademoiselle Ixe who unbent herself with Evelyn. 4. Nautical. To unfasten, untie, undo (a cable, line, or sail). ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > other nautical operations > [verb (transitive)] > work ropes or cables in specific ways windc1550 veer1590 veer1604 rousea1625 heave1626 overhaul1626 ease1627 pay1627 reeve1627 unbend1627 to come up1685 overhale1692 to pay away1769 surge1769 render1777 to pay out1793 to round down1793 to set upon ——1793 swig1794 veer1806 snake1815 to side out for a bend1831 rack1841 snub1841 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. vii. 30 [To] vnbend the Cable, is..to take it away, which we vsually doe when we are at Sea. 1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 235 We immediately unbent all our Sails..and set up seven or eight Tents with them. 1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 27 We split the Foresail and unbent it, and bent another. 1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §158 We found it equally difficult to get the bridle chain unbent from the swivel. 1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxvi. 285 We unbent the main-sail, and formed an awning with it. 1875 Board of Trade Instr. Saving Life by Rocket Unbend the Rocket Line from the Warp. 1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 124 What ropes are bent and unbent from the sail? 5. To allow or cause (the brow) to relax from a serious, severe, or frowning aspect. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > forehead > [verb (transitive)] > contract or relax knitc1405 strain1556 unknit1566 unpleat1572 unfret1594 unplaitc1595 smooth1597 uncontract1628 plait1642 to roll into ——1656 unbend1718 gather1790 knot1844 1718 M. Prior Henry & Emma 6 Wilt thou awhile unbend thy serious Brow? 1718 M. Prior Henry & Emma 138 A softer Look unbends his op'ning Brow. 1811 C. Lamb Genius & Char. Hogarth in Wks. (1909) I. 110 The..joke which has unbent his care-worn hard-working visage. 1816 Ld. Byron Parisina xx, in Siege of Corinth 87 But never..smile his brow unbended. 6. To straighten from a bent or curved position; to unfold. Also reflexive. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > straightness > make straight [verb (transitive)] unfoldc890 evenOE rightc1275 rectifyc1475 straight1530 unbow1538 straighten1542 unarch1598 uncrisp1598 uncurl1598 undouble1611 untuck1611 unwind1614 bendc1616 unbend1663 unwarp1670 evolve1689 unwrap1859 unkink1891 dekink1957 the world > space > shape > straightness > make straight [verb (reflexive)] unbend1845 1663 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim xxx They are the Souls whose Prayers God hears, who employ their hands as soon as they have unbent their knees. 1817 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. II. xxiii. 315 These [spines] are of great use in pushing them off when the legs are unbended. 1845 P. Barlow Manuf. in Encycl. Metrop. VIII. 99/2 A spring, which, in order that it may exert any force or give motion to a Machine, must first unbend itself. 1886 N.Z. Herald 8 Nov. 6/5 Three nets were unbent and a number of opening games played. absolute.1816 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. (1817) II. xxiii. 315 They bend their legs like the grasshoppers, and then unbending kick them out with violence. II. intransitive or absol. †7. To abandon an effort or attempt. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > completing > non-completion > abandon an attempt or enterprise [verb (intransitive)] unbenda1400 unbinda1400 to leave (a person) the field?c1450 to give upa1616 to call (it) quits1851 to pull the pin1860 to hang up one's fiddle1889 to pack in1906 to pack up1925 to cop out1942 to give it away1949 a1400–50 Alexander (Dublin) 1744 For-þi is better vnbende & of þi brathe leue. a1400–50 Alexander (Dublin) 1974 For-þi it wer better vnbenden or þou bale suffre. 8. a. To free oneself from constraint or ceremony; to act in an unconstrained or genial manner; to relax one's seriousness or severity. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > social intercourse or companionship > be sociable [verb (intransitive)] > throw off coldness or reserve thaw1598 untune1609 unbend1746 relax1836 to let (take) one's (back) hair down1850 unbuckle1886 1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles i. xviii. 106 Yet oft at home you can unbend, And even to trifling Sports descend. 1785 W. Cowper Tirocinium in Task 608 Ev'n in his pastimes he requires a friend, To warn, and teach him safely to unbend . View more context for this quotation 1831 D. E. Williams Life Sir T. Lawrence II. 351 (note) He seemed to unbend, and give way to his humour. 1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1877) II. vii. 28 In private company though he never forgot his rank, he could unbend. b. Of the features: To lose severity; to relax. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > face with expression or expression > face with expression [verb (intransitive)] > relax relax1748 unbend1817 1817 W. Scott Rob Roy II. v. 108 His hard features gradually unbent. 1897 A. Dobson Tale of Polypheme in Poems xviii Soon the Child Filled the lone shore with louder merriment, And e'en the Cyclops' heavy brow unbent. c. To relax in purpose. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] > waver flecchec1300 waverc1315 remue1340 shake1340 flitc1386 flow1434 falter1521 flitter1543 to waver as, like, with the wind1548 rove1549 float1598 jarga1614 give ground1662 weaken1876 unbend1877 1877 J. C. Geikie Life & Words Christ II. xxxv. 44 His soul never unbent from its grand enthusiasm. 9. To alter from a bend or curve; to become straight or less curved. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > straightness > become straight [verb (intransitive)] rectify1598 unbend1815 unarch1885 undouble1889 straighten1891 unkink1972 1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 35 The spring, by unbending at the same time, loses a part of its power. 1861 ‘G. Eliot’ Silas Marner xii. 217 But the complete torpor came at last: the fingers lost their tension, the arms unbent. 1869 A. J. Evans Vashti xxx. 421 The brow wore its heavy cloud, and the arch of the lip had not unbent. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1921; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < v.c1290
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