mend

mend [mend]

vt.

[ME menden, aphetic < amenden,AMEND]

1. to repair (something broken, torn, or worn); restore to good condition; make whole; fix

2. to make better; improve; reform; set right [to mend one's manners]

3. to atone for; make amends for: now only in least said, soonest mended

vi.

1. to get better; improve, esp. in health

2. to grow together again or heal, as a fracture

n.

1. the act of mending; improvement

2. a mended place, as on a garment

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on the mend

improving, esp. in health

mendable

adj.

mender

n.

SYN.- MEND is the general word implying a making whole again something that has been broken, torn, etc. [to mend a toy, dress, etc. ]; REPAIR¹, often equivalent to MEND, is preferred when the object is a relatively complex one that has become damaged or decayed through use, age, exhaustion, etc. [to repair an automobile, radio, etc. ]; PATCH¹ and DARN¹ imply the mending of a hole, tear, etc., the former by inserting or applying a piece of similar material [to patch a coat, a tire, etc. ], the latter by sewing a network of stitches across the gap [to darn a sock ]