From Middle English binden, from Old English bindan, from Proto-West Germanic *bindan, from Proto-Germanic *bindaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéndʰ-e-ti, from *bʰendʰ- (“to tie”). See also West Frisian bine, Dutch binden, Low German binnen, binden, German binden, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk binde, Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish binda; also Welsh ben (“cart”), Latin offendīx (“knot, band”), Lithuanian beñdras (“partner”), Albanian bind (“to convince, to awe, to spell”), Ancient Greek πεῖσμα (peîsma, “cable, rope”), Persian بستن (bastan, “to bind”), Sanskrit बन्धति (bándhati). Doublet of bandana.
They that reap must sheaf and bind.c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
2
To cohere or stick together in a mass.
We’ll throw it in just to make the cheese more binding.
unlocks their [clay’s] binding Quality.1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC:
3
To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action, as by friction.
I wish I knew why the sewing machine binds up after I use it for a while.
4
To exert a binding or restraining influence.
These are the ties that bind.
5
To tie or fasten tightly together, with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.
To bind grain in bundles.
To bind a prisoner.
6
To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind.
Gravity binds the planets to the sun.
Frost binds the earth.
2 more examples
He bindeth the flouds from ouerflowing, and the thing that is hid, bringeth he foorth to light.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 28:11:
And ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, loe these eighteene yeeres, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 13:16:
7
To couple.
8
Figuratively To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other social tie.
to bind the conscience.
I am much bounden to your Maieſty.c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 11, column 2:
3 more examples
In the concluding whereof Sir Thomas More so worthily handled himself, procuring in our league far more benefits unto this realm, than at that time, by the king or his council was thought possible to be compassed, that for his good service in that voyage, the king, when he after made him Lord Chancellor, caused the Duke of Norfolk openly to declare to the people, as you shall hear hereafter more at large, how much all England was bounden unto him.1626, William Roper, S. W. Singer, The Mirrour of Vertue in Worldly Greatnes. Or The Life of Syr Thomas More Knight, sometime Lo. Chancellour of England, new revised and corrected edition, Paris [i.e. Saint-Omer]: [Printed at the English College Press], →OCLC; republished as The Life of Sir Thomas More, by His Son-in-law, William Roper, Esq. […], Chiswick, London: From the press of C[harles] Whittingham, for R. Triphook, […], 1822, →OCLC, page 36:
Who made our Laws to bind us, not himſelf,1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 25, line 310:
He'll mind, I reckon, not getting any work out'n me, but I won't be bounden to him any longer. How can he keep me if I ain't bounden to him?1963, William A. Owens, chapter 2, in Look to the River, New York, N.Y.: Atheneum; republished as Look to the River (Texas Tradition Series; 8), Fort Worth, Tex.: Texas Christian University Press, 1988, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 20:
9
Law To put (a person) under definite legal obligations, especially, under the obligation of a bond or covenant.
To protect or strengthen by applying a band or binding, as the edge of a carpet or garment.
12
Archaic To make fast (a thing) about or upon something, as by tying; to encircle with something.
To bind a belt about one.
To bind a compress upon a wound.
13
To cover, as with a bandage.
To bind up a wound.
14
Archaic To prevent or restrain from customary or natural action, as by producing constipation.
Certain drugs bind the bowels.
15
To put together in a cover, as of books.
The three novels were bound together.
16
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences To make two or more elements stick together.
17
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences To associate an identifier with a value; to associate a variable name, method name, etc. with the content of a storage location.
We bind the variable n to the value 2, and xs to "abcd".2008, Bryan O'Sullivan, John Goerzen, Donald Bruce Stewart, Real World Haskell, page 33:
You can bind an identifier to an object of a derived type, as you did earlier when you bound a string to an identifier of type obj[…]2009, Robert Pickering, Beginning F#, page 123:
UK, Dialectal To complain; to whine about something.
"But it's not much good piling up the pix if I can't sell them." "Oh do stop binding. Think of something. How will we eat, where will we sleep?"1980, Iris Murdoch, Nuns And Soldiers:
20
To wear a binder so as to flatten one's chest to give the appearance of a flat chest, usually done by trans men.
I haven't binded since I got my top surgery.
I hear binder tech has improved since I last bound.
From Middle English binden, from Old English bindan, from Proto-West Germanic *bindan, from Proto-Germanic *bindaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéndʰ-e-ti, from *bʰendʰ- (“to tie”). See also West Frisian bine, Dutch binden, Low German binnen, binden, German binden, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk binde, Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish binda; also Welsh ben (“cart”), Latin offendīx (“knot, band”), Lithuanian beñdras (“partner”), Albanian bind (“to convince, to awe, to spell”), Ancient Greek πεῖσμα (peîsma, “cable, rope”), Persian بستن (bastan, “to bind”), Sanskrit बन्धति (bándhati). Doublet of bandana.
1
That which binds or ties.
2
A troublesome situation; a problem; a predicament or quandary.
3
Any twining or climbing plant or stem, especially a hop vine; a bine.