Tend is a word all by itself. It means to bestow attention, to have a purpose, or to advance. It is based on the Latin word tendere, to stretch. That verb also contained the senses to strain or to strive.
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Worth noting is that –tend was frequently used as a word part in combination with various prefixes. Some of the words in the following list are now obsolete, but they demonstrate the usefulness of this word part through the centuries.
· attend: To watch over something. [L. ad-, towards, + tendere, to stretch]
· bartend: To serve drinks in a bar.[OF. barre, rigid piece of wood, + L. tendere, to stretch]
· circumtend: To stretch around something.[L. circum-, around, + tendere, to stretch]
· contend: To strive earnestly. [L. con-, with, + tendere, to stretch]
· detend: To reduce the tension or the intensity of something. [L. de-, undo, + tendere, to stretch]
· distend: To swell out. [L. dis-, away and out, + tendere, to stretch]
· extend: To expand or prolong. [L. ex-, out, + tendere, to stretch]
· intend: To have a purpose. [L. in-, onward continuance, + tendere, to stretch]
· mistend: To fail to give proper attention to something. [L. mis-, badly, + tendere, to stretch]
· obtend: To proffer or put forward. [L. ob-, in front of, + tendere, to stretch]
· ostend: To indicate directly. [L. ob-, in front of, + tendere, to stretch]
· portend: To forecast or give warning. [L. por-, forward, + tendere, to stretch]
· pretend: To feign. [L. pre-, before, + tendere, to stretch]
· retend: To return. [L. re-, again, + tendere, to stretch]
· subtend: To form an angle; to underlie. [L. sub-, under, + tendere, to stretch]
· tend: To bestow attention; to have a purpose; to advance. [L. tendere, to stretch]
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