 |
Sense: 1, 3, 5
| Date: | 1300-1400 |
| Language: | Old French |
| Origin: | tendre 'to stretch', from Latin tendere |
| Date: | 1100-1200 |
| Origin: | attend |
| |||||||||
tend S1 W1
1 if something tends to happen, it happens often and is likely to happen again : 
People tend to need less sleep as they get older.My car tends to overheat in the summer.
tend to do something
People tend to need less sleep as they get older.My car tends to overheat in the summer.2 also tend to somebody/something [transitive] old-fashioned to look after someone or something : Sofia was in the bedroom tending to her son.
Sofia was in the bedroom tending to her son.3 to have one particular quality or feature more than others : Charles tends towards obesity.
tend towards something
Charles tends towards obesity.5 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] formal to move or develop in a particular direction
