*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of bond

From Middle English bond, a variant of band, from Old English beand, bænd, bend (“bond, chain, fetter, band, ribbon, ornament, chaplet, crown”), from Proto-Germanic *bandaz, *bandiz (“band, fetter”)، from Proto-Indo-Euro

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A document constituting evidence of a long-term debt, by which the bond issuer (the borrower) is obliged to pay interest when due, and repay the principal at maturity, as specified on the face of the bond certificate. The rights of the holder are specified in the bond indenture, which contains the legal terms and conditions under which the bond was issued. Bonds are available in two forms: registered bonds, and bearer bonds. · A documentary obligation to pay a sum or to perform a contract; a debenture. · A partial payment made to show a provider that the customer is sincere about buying a product or a service. If the product or service is not purchased the customer then forfeits the bond. · A physical connection which binds, a band.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English bond, a variant of band, from Old English beand, bænd, bend (“bond, chain, fetter, band, ribbon, ornament, chaplet, crown”), from Proto-Germanic *bandaz, *bandiz (“band, fetter”)، from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to tie; bond, band”). Cognate with Dutch band, German Band, Swedish band. Doublet of Bund. Related to bind.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 11 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰendʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bond"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bond"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "beand"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English beand"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*bandaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *bandaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰendʰ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to tie; bond, band"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to tie; bond, band”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "band"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch band"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Band"
      },
      "expansion": "German Band"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "band"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish band"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Bund"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of Bund"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bond",
      "bond#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "band",
      "band#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "beand",
      "beand#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bænd",
      "bænd#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bend",
      "bend#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "fetter",
      "fetter#English"
    ],
    [
      "chaplet",
      "chaplet#English"
    ],
    [
      "*bandaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bandaz"
    ],
    [
      "*bandiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bandiz"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰendʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰendʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "band",
      "band#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Band",
      "Band#German"
    ],
    [
      "band",
      "band#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "Bund",
      "Bund#English"
    ],
    [
      "bind",
      "bind#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "word": "bonde",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
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      "pos": "noun",
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        "A document constituting evidence of a long-term debt, by which the bond issuer (the borrower) is obliged to pay interest when due, and repay the principal at maturity, as specified on the face of the bond certificate. The rights of the holder are specified in the bond indenture, which contains the legal terms and conditions under which the bond was issued. Bonds are available in two forms: registered bonds, and bearer bonds.",
        "A documentary obligation to pay a sum or to perform a contract; a debenture.",
        "A partial payment made to show a provider that the customer is sincere about buying a product or a service. If the product or service is not purchased the customer then forfeits the bond.",
        "A physical connection which binds, a band."
      ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To connect, secure or tie with a bond; to bind. · To cause to adhere (one material with another). · To form a chemical compound with. · To guarantee or secure a financial risk.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English bonden.

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:bonden",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"bond\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"bond\">\nInherited from Middle English bonden."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
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      "bonden#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
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      "glosses": [
        "To connect, secure or tie with a bond; to bind.",
        "To cause to adhere (one material with another).",
        "To form a chemical compound with.",
        "To guarantee or secure a financial risk."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A peasant; churl. · A vassal; serf; one held in bondage to a superior.

adj

Subject to the tenure called bondage. · In a state of servitude or slavedom; not free. · Servile; slavish; pertaining to or befitting a slave.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English bonde (“peasant, servant, bondman”), from Old English bōnda, būnda (“householder, freeman, plebeian, husband”), perhaps from Old Norse bóndi (“husbandman, householder”, literally “dweller”), or a contraction of Old English būend (“dweller, inhabitant”), both from Proto-Germanic *būwandz (“dweller”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become, grow, appear”). See also bower, boor.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "servant"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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      },
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    },
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      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "bóndi",
        "4": "",
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        "lit": "dweller"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse bóndi (“husbandman, householder”, literally “dweller”)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
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        "4": "",
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      },
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    },
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        "2": "gem-pro",
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        "4": "",
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      },
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    },
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      },
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    }
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      "bunda#Old_English"
    ],
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      "bóndi",
      "bóndi#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "buend#Old_English"
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      "*bʰuH-",
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    ],
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      "bower",
      "bower#English"
    ],
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      "boor",
      "boor#English"
    ]
  ],
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        "A peasant; churl.",
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      "pos": "adj",
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      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for bond →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Ym9uZA