mend
UK[mend]US[mend]
v
To repair something that is broken, damaged, or torn.
v
To improve something or make it right again, especially a situation or a relationship.
v
To recover from an illness or injury.
Etymology
The verb "mend" entered Middle English from the Anglo-Norman French mender, a variant of amender, meaning "to free from fault." This, in turn, derives from the Latin emendare, "to correct, free from fault," from e- (a variant of ex-, meaning "out") and mendum, meaning "fault, blemish." The Latin mendum is of uncertain origin but may be related to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to lack, be faulty." The core semantic journey is from the abstract concept of removing a fault or blemish to the more concrete acts of repairing physical objects and improving non-physical conditions. The word's path through Anglo-Norman simplified its form, dropping the initial vowel to create the compact, efficient modern English term.
Analysis
The word "mend" is a simplex word of Germanic origin. It functions as a verb in its base form.
Examples
He learned to mend his own clothes to save money.
Diplomatic efforts are underway to mend relations between the two countries.
The patient is mending well after the surgery.