to tear or rend

  • 1tear — vb Tear, rip, rend, split, cleave, rive can all mean to separate forcibly one part of a continuous material or substance from another, or one object from another with which it is closely and firmly associated. Tear implies pulling apart or away… …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 2tear — I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English tæhher, tēar; akin to Old High German zahar tear, Greek dakry Date: before 12th century 1. a. a drop of clear saline fluid secreted by the lacrimal gland and diffused between the eye and eyelids …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 3rend — v. (D; tr.) ( to tear ) to rend into (to rend one s clothes into shreds) * * * [rend] (D; tr.) ( to tear ) to rend into (to rend one s clothes into shreds) …

    Combinatory dictionary

  • 4Tear — (t[^a]r), v. t. [imp. {Tore} (t[=o]r), ((Obs. {Tare}) (t[^a]r); p. p. {Torn} (t[=o]rn); p. pr. & vb. n. {Tearing}.] [OE. teren, AS. teran; akin to OS. farterian to destroy, D. teren to consume, G. zerren to pull, to tear, zehren to consume, Icel …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 5tear — tear1 [ter] vt. tore, torn, tearing [ME teren < OE teran, to rend, akin to Ger zehren, to destroy, consume < IE base * der , to skin, split > DRAB1, DERMA1] 1. to pull apart or separate into pieces by force; rip or rend (cloth, paper,… …

    English World dictionary

  • 6Rend — (r[e^]nd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Rent} (r[e^]nt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Rending}.] [AS. rendan, hrendan; cf. OFries. renda, randa, Fries. renne to cut, rend, Icel. hrinda to push, thrust, AS. hrindan; or cf. Icel. r[ae]na to rob, plunder, Ir. rannaim… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 7rend — [rend] vt. rent, rending [ME renden < OE rendan, akin to OFris renda < IE base * rendh , to tear apart > RIND, Sans randhram, fissure, split] 1. to tear, pull, or rip with violence: with from, off, away, etc. 2. to tear, pull apart, rip… …

    English World dictionary

  • 8tear — [n1] rip, cut breach, break, crack, damage, fissure, gash, hole, imperfection, laceration, mutilation, rent, run, rupture, scratch, split, tatter; concept 513 Ant. perfection tear / tears [n2] droplets from eyes, often caused by emotion… …

    New thesaurus

  • 9rend — I verb break, burst, cleave, crack, cut, dilacerate, discerp, disscindere, dissect, dissever, disunite, divide, fracture, lacerate, lancinate, rip, rive, rupture, sever, shatter, shiver, slash, slice, snap, splinter, split, sunder, tear, tear… …

    Law dictionary

  • 10rend — [ rend ] (past tense and past participle rent [ rent ] ) verb transitive LITERARY 1. ) to tear something into pieces 2. ) to make someone feel great emotion: Her screams would rend the heart of any man. rend the air if a loud shout or sound rends …

    Usage of the words and phrases in modern English