Rend (rnd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rent (rnt); p. pr. & vb. n. Rending.]
Etymology: [AS. rendan, hrendan; cf. OFries. renda, randa, Fries.renne to cut, rend, Icel. hrinda to push, thrust, AS. hrindan; or cf. Icel. r to rob, plunder, Ir. rannaim to divide, share, part, W. rhanu, Armor. ranna.]
1. To separate into parts with force or sudden violence; to tear asunder; to split; to burst; as, powder rends a rock in blasting; lightning rends an oak. The dreadful thunder Doth rend the region. Shak.
2. To part or tear off forcibly; to take away by force. An empire from its old foundations rent. Dryden. I will surely rend the kingdom from thee. 1 Kings xi. 11. To rap and rend. See under Rap, v. t., to snatch.
Syn. -- To tear; burst; break; rupture; lacerate; fracture; crack; split.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Rend, v. i.
To be rent or torn; to become parted; to sepparate; to split. Jer. Taylor.
Shades of meaning
Rend and tear are applied to the separating of textile substances into parts by force violently applied (rend also to frangible substances), tear being the milder, rend the stronger word. Rive is a wood-workers' word for parting wood in the way of the grain without a clean cut. To lacerate is to tear roughly the flesh or animal tissue, as by the teeth of a wild beast; a lacerated wound is distinguished from a wound made by a clean cut or incision. Mangle is a stronger word than lacerate; lacerate is more superficial, mangle more complete. To burst or rupture is to tear or rend by force from within, burst denoting the greater violence; as, to burst a gun; to rupture a blood-vessel; a steam-boiler may be ruptured when its substance is made to divide by internal pressure without explosion. To rip, as usually applied to garments or other articles made by sewing or stitching, is to divide along the line of a seam by cutting or breaking the stitches; the other senses bear some resemblance or analogy to this; as, to rip open a wound. Compare break.