bent

1
[ bent ]
/ bɛnt /

adjective

curved; crooked: a bent bow; a bent stick.
determined; set; resolved (usually followed by on): to be bent on buying a new car.
Chiefly British Slang.
  1. morally crooked; corrupt.
  2. stolen: bent merchandise.
  3. homosexual.

noun

Origin of bent

1
First recorded in 1525–35; orig. past participle of bend1

Definition for bent (2 of 3)

bent 2
[ bent ]
/ bɛnt /

noun

a stalk of bent grass.
Scot., North England. (formerly) any stiff grass or sedge.
British Dialect. a moor; heath; tract of uncultivated, grassy land, used as a pasture or hunting preserve.

Origin of bent

2
1300–50; Middle English; earlier benet-, bunet- (in compounds), Old English beonet-, beonot- (in place names); cognate with Old High German binuz (compare German Binse) rush

Definition for bent (3 of 3)

bend 1
[ bend ]
/ bɛnd /

verb (used with object), bent or (Archaic) bend·ed; bend·ing.

verb (used without object), bent or (Archaic) bend·ed; bend·ing.

noun

Origin of bend

1
before 1000; Middle English benden (v.) Old English bendan to bind, bend (a bow); cognate with Middle High German benden, Old Norse benda; akin to Old Norse band band. See band3

synonym study for bend

10. Bend, bow, stoop imply taking a bent posture. Bend and bow are used of the head and upper body; stoop is used of the body only.

OTHER WORDS FROM bend

bend·a·ble, adjective non·bend·ing, adjective re·bend·a·ble, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for bent

British Dictionary definitions for bent (1 of 4)

bent 1
/ (bɛnt) /

adjective

not straight; curved
(foll by on) fixed (on a course of action); resolved (to); determined (to)
slang
  1. dishonest; corrupt
  2. (of goods) stolen
  3. crazy; mad
  4. British offensive homosexual

noun

personal inclination, propensity, or aptitude
capacity of endurance (esp in the phrase to the top of one's bent)
civil engineering a framework placed across a structure to stiffen it

British Dictionary definitions for bent (2 of 4)

bent 2
/ (bɛnt) /

noun

short for bent grass
a stalk of bent grass
archaic any stiff grass or sedge
Scot and Northern English dialect heath or moorland

Word Origin for bent

Old English bionot; related to Old Saxon binet, Old High German binuz rush

British Dictionary definitions for bent (3 of 4)

bend 1
/ (bɛnd) /

verb bends, bending or bent

noun

See also bends

Derived forms of bend

bendable, adjective

Word Origin for bend

Old English bendan; related to Old Norse benda, Middle High German benden; see bind, band ³

British Dictionary definitions for bent (4 of 4)

bend 2
/ (bɛnd) /

noun

heraldry an ordinary consisting of a diagonal line traversing a shield

Word Origin for bend

Old English bend band ²; see bend 1

Medical definitions for bent

bend
[ bĕnd ]

v.

To incline the body; stoop.

Idioms and Phrases with bent

bend