Etymograph

English

mend

Mend comes from Middle English menden ‘to cure’, from Latin ēmendō ‘to atone’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mend- ‘defect’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mend-1‘defect’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmendum1‘defect’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēmendō1‘to atone’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēmendāre1present active infinitive of ēmendō
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400amender1
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500menden1‘to cure’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1535mend1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English mend
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1535, Myles Coverdale: “[H]e [Jesus] ſawe other two brethren, James the ſonne…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mend-Wiktionary, English mend‘defect’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmendumWiktionary, English mend‘defect’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēmendōWiktionary, English mend‘to atone’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēmendāreWiktionary, English mendpresent active infinitive of ēmendō
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400amenderWiktionary, English mend
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mendenWiktionary, English mend‘to cure’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1535mendWiktionary, English mend. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1535, Myles Coverdale: “[H]e [Jesus] ſawe other two brethren, James the ſonne…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mend- ‘defect’

amendment, amendatory, 13 more

Another origin of mend

  1. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400amende
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mend
  3. Englishtodaymend

Today it means

verb To physically repair (something that is broken, defaced, decayed, torn, or otherwise damaged).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mend”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mend- / mend

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