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tend 1 (tĕnd)
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intr.v. tend·ed, tend·ing, tends
1. To have a tendency: paint that tends toward bubbling and peeling over time.
2. To be disposed or inclined: tends toward exaggeration.
3. To move or extend in a certain direction: Our ship tended northward.
[Middle English tenden, from Old French tendre, from Latin tendere; see ten- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 
tend 2 (tĕnd)
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v. tend·ed, tend·ing, tends
v.tr.
1. To have the care of; watch over; look after: tend a child.
2. To manage the activities and transactions of; run: tend bar; tend a store in the owner's absence.
v.intr.
1. To be an attendant or servant.
2. To apply one's attention; attend: no time to tend to my diary.
[Middle English tenden, short for attenden, to wait on; see ATTEND.]
Synonyms: tend2, attend, mind, minister, watch
These verbs mean to have the care or supervision of something: tended her plants; attends the sick; minded the neighbor's children; ministered to flood victims; watched the house while the owners were away.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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