entry
amend
/əˈmɛnd/Improve, correct, or formally alter something flawed
From Latin ex (out of) + Latin mendum (fault).
from Old French amender "correct, set right, make better, improve" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom PIE *mend- "physical defect, fault" (source also of Sanskrit minda "physical blemish," Old Irish mennar "stain,...
from Old French amender "correct, set right, make better, improve" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom PIE *mend- "physical defect, fault" (source also of Sanskrit minda "physical blemish," Old Irish mennar "stain,...
+1 more sourcefrom Old French amender "correct, set right, make better, improve" (12c.)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Old French amender "correct, set right, make better, improve" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom PIE *mend- "physical defect, fault" (source also of Sanskrit minda "physical blemish," Old Irish mennar "stain,...
from Old French amender "correct, set right, make better, improve" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom PIE *mend- "physical defect, fault" (source also of Sanskrit minda "physical blemish," Old Irish mennar "stain,...
+1 more sourcefrom Old French amender "correct, set right, make better, improve" (12c.)
+1 more sourcePicture a Roman proofreader discovering a blot on a manuscript: the ideal fix was to get the fault out, not merely paint over it. Latin joined ex, “out,” to mendum, “fault or blemish,” producing ēmendō—literally, “I free from faults.” That same family took a darker turn in mendacious, because a Latin “fault” could become a flaw in writing and then a falsehood. English borrowed the repair-minded form through Old French amender, while its shortened sibling mend eventually became the everyday word for repairing clothes, tools, and almost anything else. In 1777, amend acquired its especially familiar legal sense: lawmakers could “amend” a bill by removing what was wrong without throwing the whole thing away.
The Story
Picture a Roman proofreader discovering a blot on a manuscript: the ideal fix was to get the fault out, not merely paint over it. Latin joined ex, “out,” to mendum, “fault or blemish,” producing ēmendō—literally, “I free from faults.” That same family took a darker turn in mendacious, because a Latin “fault” could become a flaw in writing and then a falsehood. English borrowed the repair-minded form through Old French amender, while its shortened sibling mend eventually became the everyday word for repairing clothes, tools, and almost anything else. In 1777, amend acquired its especially familiar legal sense: lawmakers could “amend” a bill by removing what was wrong without throwing the whole thing away.
Modern Usage
A low-information slang use meaning to annoy or get on someone’s nerves
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary Entry 1
Kin & Kindred
From 'ex'·out of, away from; removal
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'mendum'·fault, blemish, error
Derived Terms
English words from this root