bends
bends Lexical Profile
bends Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To shape or force something straight into a curve or angle, or to become curved or angled (third-person singular present of bend).
"The strong coastal wind bends the young pine trees toward the inland hills."
To incline the body downward from the vertical, such as at the waist or knees (third-person singular present of bend).
"She bends down to tie her running shoes before starting the race."
• noun
Plural form of bend: curved, angled, or winding parts in a road, river, pipe, or other pathway.
"The mountain road has several sharp bends that require drivers to slow down."
An informal term (usually 'the bends') for decompression sickness, a painful and potentially fatal condition caused by nitrogen bubbles forming in the bloodstream when a diver or high-altitude worker returns to normal atmospheric pressure too quickly.
"Scuba divers must ascend slowly and make safety stops to avoid getting the bends."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to decompression sickness, 'bends' is almost always preceded by the definite article ('the bends') and functions as a plural-form noun that takes either a singular or plural verb.
• Rhymes for bends
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'bendan', meaning to bind or draw a bowstring. The medical sense ('the bends') arose in the late 19th century during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, comparing the stooped posture of afflicted caisson workers to the 'Grecian bend', a fashionable women's posture of the era.