▪ I. amend, v.
(əˈmɛnd)
Also 3–4 amendie, -y, 3–6 amende.
[a. OFr. amende-r:—L. ēmendā-re to free from fault, correct, improve, f. ē = ex out + mend-um, mend-a fault. The change from e- to a- took place very early, being found in Pr. and It. as well as OFr. Already in 14th c. aphetized to mend.]
1. To free (a person) from faults, correct, reform, turn from wrong, convert. † a. trans. Obs.
| c 1220 Prov. Alfred in Rel. Ant. I. 188 Þuru þis lore & genteleri, he amendit huge companie. 1297 R. Glouc. 73 Þo pope..twei holy men hym sende..hys soule for to amende. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 185 A sermun he made For to a-Mende meires. 1480 Caxton Chron. Engl. iii. (1520) 22/2 Lud governed well the lande..and amended yll folk. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. iv. iii. 76 God amend vs, God amend, we are much out o' th' way. 1704–5 Penn in Pa. Hist. Soc. Mem. IX. 375 Till those unworthy people..are amended. |
† b. refl. Obs.
| 1297 R. Glouc. 350 Þat hii..Repenty mowe, & þer of hem amendy. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1569 God..at þe last on þam will sende Veng[e]aunce, bot if þai þam here amende. c 1360 E.E.P. (1862) 131 Ȝif þou art in synne i-bounde, Amende þe. 1481 Caxton Myrr. iii. x. 154 Yet for al that they amende them not. 1535 Coverdale Matt. iii. 1 Amende youre selues the kyngdome of heuen is at honde. |
c. intr. To reform oneself, abandon one's faults or evil ways.
| c 1300 Lay-Folks Mass-Bk. B. (1375) 238, I trow..of my synnes, forgyfnes If I wil mende. c 1400 Apol. for Loll. 15 Wan þe synnar wil not dewli obey ne a mend. 1535 Coverdale Jon. iii. Argt., They amende, and God is mercifull to them. 1655 H. Vaughan Silex Scint. i. (1858) 83 If here One Sinner doth amend Strait there is Joy. 1727 De Foe Apparitions x. 192 It gives advice to amend and reform. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. iii. iv. 172 The bad Editors promise to amend, but do not. |
2. trans. To free (a thing) from faults, correct (what is faulty), rectify. arch.
| c 1280 7 Sins in E.E.P. (1862) 18 Ȝoure sinful lif to amendie to-dai ic wol ȝow teche. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 226 The wrongfull lawes ben amended. Ibid. 241 Her olde sinnes to amende. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 128, I may wele correcte and amende my thoughtis. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. i. 180 You must needes learne, Lord, to amend this fault. 1611 Bible Jer. vii. 3 Amend your wayes, and your doings. 1757 Burke Abridgm. Eng. Hist. Wks. X. 525 Made him swear to amend his civil government. 1879 Froude Cæsar iii. 29 A few things had gone wrong, but these had been amended. |
b. esp. Of errors in the text of a book or document: To emendate.
| 1483 Caxton Cato 3 [I] beseche alle suche that fynde faute or errour that..they correcte and amende hit. 1611 Bible Pref. 9 To goe ouer that which hee had done, and to amend it where he saw cause. 1747 Warburton Pref. Shaks. (T.) Amending the corrupted text. 1753 Chambers Cycl. Supp. s.v. Amendment, In cases of wrong returns..that the returns be amended by the returning officer. |
3. Law. To correct (an error committed in legal process), or rectify (a legal document). Also absol.
| 1429 Act 8 Hen. VI, xv. (Pulton 1632) The Iustices may in certaine cases amend defaults in Records. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. 409 They might..have excused themselves from amending in criminal, and especially in capital, cases. 1809 Tomlins Law Dict. I. G ij a/2 But a mandamus may not be amended after return. |
4. To make professed improvements in (a measure before Parliament); formally, to alter in detail, though practically it may be to alter its principle, so as to thwart it. (See amendment 1 d.)
| 1777 Burke Aff. Amer. Wks. III. 136 During its progress through the house of commons, it has been amended. 1879 M{supc}Carthy Own Time II. xxiii. 176 There was no reason why the Government should not have amended their bill. |
5. To repair or make good (what is broken or damaged); to restore. arch. Commonly replaced by the aphet. form mend.
| c 1230 Ancr. R. 420 Seouweð, and amendeð chirche cloðes. c 1305 E.E.P. (1862) 44 Þe toun also of wynchestre{revsc} he amendede ynouȝ. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 65 Wyndowes..ich wolle a-menden & glase. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 338/1 Amendynge & cloutynge poure mennes shoes. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. cxxviii, How an hye way sholde be amended. c 1575 Still Gamm. Gurton's Needle i. ii. 14 Dame Gurton these breeches amended. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. vii. xliv. (1632) 418 They fell to amending their shippes. 1721 Perry Daggenh. Breach 130 Repair and amend all the said Walls. 1875 H. E. Manning Mission H. Ghost xii. 324 Until the machine is either amended or destroyed. |
† b. fig. Obs. rare.
| c 1399 Pol. Poems II. 10 So stant the werre, and pes is noght amendid. |
† 6. trans. To heal or recover (the sick); to cure (a disease). Obs.
| c 1305 St. Lucy 24 in E.E.P. (1862) 102 To þe tumbe of seint Agace: hire moder lyf to amende. c 1386 Chaucer Sqr.'s T. 460 If þat I verraily the cause knewe Of youre disese..I wolde amenden it. 1388 Wyclif John iv. 52 He axide of hem the our in which he was amendid. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour F ij b, Whan she was amended of her legges. 1548 Coverdale Erasm. Paraphr. Phil. Argt., Epaphroditus was amended of his extreme daungerous sickenesse. 1653 Milton Ps. vi. 4 Pity me, Lord..heal and amend me. 1804 Abernethy Surg. Observ. 154 Although the sores were not amended. |
† b. intr. (through refl.) To recover from illness. Obs.: see mend.
| 1297 R. Glouc. 8 Ac men of France in þilke vuel me syþ sone a mende. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 316 She began somdele amende. 1610 Shakes. Temp. v. i. 115 Th' affliction of my minde amends. 1611 Bible John iv. 52 The houre when he began to amend. |
7. To bring into a better state, better, improve (anything implicitly imperfect). a. trans.
| 1384 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 84 In her ne myght no thing be amendid. 1496 Dives & Paup. (W. de Worde) vii. x. 289/2 Yf the seller be moche harmed by the sellynge, & the byer moche amended by the byenge. c 1500 Merch. & Son in Halliwell Nugæ Poet. 23 Some fayre syens to amende wyth thy degree. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. ii. 142 To punish you by the heeles, would amend the attention of your eares. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 554 Sunday-schools..have a tendency to amend the morals and conduct of the rising generation. 1832 H. Martineau Ella of Gar. i. 11 Presently, however, his idea of her was amended. |
† b. refl. Obs. rare.
| 1393 Gower Conf. I. 16 Eche of hem him self amendeth Of worldes good. |
c. intr. (Rare exc. as in 1 c.)
| c 1530 Ld. Berners Arthur Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 2 Thus amended this chylde frome daye to daye & grew so goodly. 1616 Surflet & Markh. Countr. Farme 378 Raisins or dried Grapes being wrapped in Figge leaues..amend and become better both in tast and smell. |
† d. absol. To improve on. Obs. rare.
| c 1314 Guy Warw. 4 The kirtel bicom him swithe wel, To amenden theron was neuer a del. |
† 8. trans. To better: passing from the idea of ‘improve’ to that of ‘improve upon,’ surpass. Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Sqr.'s T. 89 With so heigh reuerence and obeisaunce..That Gawayn with his old curteisye..Ne koude hym nat amende. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 363 Of women I sigh foure there, Whose name I herde most commended. By hem the court stode all amended. c 1500 Merch. & Son in Halliw. Nug. P. 22 He cowde hys gramer wonder wele, hys felows cowde hym not amende. |
† 9. To make amends, or give satisfaction for an offence. a. trans. Obs. but see mend.
| 1297 R. Glouc. 391 He wolde to Engelond..amende þat he adde mys do. c 1386 Chaucer Wife's T. 241 What is my gult?..tel me it, And it schal be amendid. c 1400 Destr. Troy xxviii. 11217 He is happy, þat a harme hastely amendes. 1513 Douglas æneis x. xiv. 61 Be all maner of torment and of pyne, For till amend my offensis. 1622 Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. 119 If a Factor by errour of account doe wrong vnto a Merchant, hee is to amend and to make good the same. 1635 Swan Spec. Mundi (1670) 368 In little medling is much rest; and ‘nothing said is soonest amended.’ |
† b. absol. To make amends. Obs. rare.
| c 1314 Guy Warw. 203 Gif Ich him haue ought misdo, Amenden Ichil wele therto. |
† c. trans. To make amends to a person of the wrong. Obs. rare.
| c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1917 Amendie hem of þy wronge{revsc} of al þyng þou hym hast offent. |
▪ II. † aˈmend, ppl. a. Obs.
[contr. of amended, like send for sended.]
Amended.
| 1482 Monk of Evesham (1869) 68 Mekyll thyng was correcte and amende more than yt was wonte to be before. c 1560 Proud Wife in Laneham's Let. Pref. 115 Therfore, good lorde, let this be a-mende. |
▪ III. amend, n.
see amends.