English Explanatory Dictionary

band

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A strip of material used for strengthening or coupling.
  2. A strip of material wrapped around things to hold them together.
  3. A narrow strip of cloth or other material on clothing, to bind, strengthen, or ornament it.
  4. A strip along the spine of a book where the pages are attached.
  5. A belt or strap that is part of a machine.
  6. A long strip of material, color, etc, that is different from the surrounding area.
  7. A strip of decoration.
  8. A continuous tablet, stripe, or series of ornaments, as of carved foliage, of colour, or of brickwork.
  9. In Gothic architecture, the moulding, or suite of mouldings, which encircles the pillars and small shafts.
  10. That which serves as the means of union or connection between persons; a tie.
  11. A linen collar or ruff worn in the 16th and 17th centuries.
  12. Two strips of linen hanging from the neck in front as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress.
verb
  1. To fasten with a band.
  2. To fasten an identifying band around the leg of (a bird).
noun
  1. A group of musicians who perform together as an ensemble; sometimes, such a group working for a professional recording artist.
  2. A type of orchestra originally playing janissary music; an instance of this type.
  3. Ellipsis of marching band.
  4. A group of people loosely united for a common purpose, such as a band of thieves.
  5. A small group of people living in a simple society, contrasted with tribes, chiefdoms, and nations.
  6. Ellipsis of band government.
verb
  1. To group together for a common purpose; to confederate.
  2. To group (students) together by perceived ability; to stream.
verb
  1. simple past and past participle of bind
verb
  1. Obsolete form of bandy.
name
  1. A surname from German.

Pronunciation

bănd /bænd/ [beənd] en-ca-band.opus en-us-band.ogg

Word forms

band bands banding banded

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *bandiz Old English bend Middle English band English band Inherited from Middle English band (also bond), from Old English beand, bænd, bend (“bond, chain, fetter, band, ribbon, ornament, chaplet, crown”), from Proto-Germanic *bandą, *bandiz (“band, fetter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to tie, bind”). Middle English band reinforced by Old French bande. Cognate with Dutch band, German Band, Danish bånd, Swedish band, Icelandic band (“band”). Related to bond, bind, bend.

Synonyms

frequency band

Related words

Band in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911) in . William Dwight Whitney Benjamin E[li] Smith editors (1911) in New York N.Y.: The Century Co. →OCLC

Derived words

A band absorption band airband Alexander's band Alexander's dark band Alice band awareness band backband bag and band baller band band-aid band-aid solution band cup bandfish bandgap bandhead bandleader bandless bandlimited bandlimiting bandmixing bandog band-pass band plan band printer band saw band-saw bandsaw bandshape band skyphos band spectrum bandspread band-stop bandstrength bandstring bandstructure band structure band-tailed antshrike band-tailed manakin bandwidth bandwing bandwork bantling baseband belly-band bellyband belly band blackband black band disease breastband broadband browband chest band chinband citizens' band citizens' band radio conduction band crossband cuffband currency band

Translations

Finnish: heimo French: bande Lakota: thiyóšpaye Swahili: bendi
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