bind
To tie or fasten tightly together; to restrain or hold.
Etymology
From Old English bindan, from Proto-Germanic *bindaną. This traces to PIE *bʰendʰ- meaning "to bind, to tie." The root produced words for physical and metaphorical binding across many Indo-European languages, including legal and social obligations.
The Journey: *bʰendʰ- → bind
*bʰendʰ-
*bindaną
bindan
bind
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *bʰendʰ-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | peîsma (cable) |
| Latin | offendīx (knot) |
| Gothic | bindan |
| Sanskrit | badhnā́ti (binds) |
| Old Irish | bainna (bracelet) |
| Lithuanian | beñdras (companion) |
Did You Know?
English "band," "bond," "bundle," and "bandage" all derive from the same PIE root. Sanskrit bandha- "binding" gave English "bandanna" (a tied cloth) and "thug" comes from Hindi ṭhag, related to binding/strangling.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰendʰ-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.