*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tind

From earlier tend, from Middle English tenden, teenden, from Old English tendan (“to kindle”) (usually attested in compounds); related to Danish tænde, German zünden, Norwegian bokmål tenne. More at tend (sense 3).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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 ↗
verb

To ignite, kindle.

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

From earlier tend, from Middle English tenden, teenden, from Old English tendan (“to kindle”) (usually attested in compounds); related to Danish tænde, German zünden, Norwegian bokmål tenne. More at tend (sense 3).

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tenden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tenden"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "tendan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to kindle"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tendan (“to kindle”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tend",
      "tend#English"
    ],
    [
      "tenden",
      "tenden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "teenden",
      "teenden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tendan",
      "tendan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "tænde",
      "tænde#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "zünden",
      "zünden#German"
    ],
    [
      "tenne",
      "tenne#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "tend",
      "tend#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To ignite, kindle."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "1529baf14070bc560be2e648fd2fb3c04459d5230193d4c7cd1e6faf9a623049",
      "rawRecordSha256": "60705bf0bc94e14bc70d009e58079824aaf94b88cdea78bc1a6229fecbdd54a7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 494249
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A prong or something projecting like a prong; an animal's horn; a branch or limb of a tree; a protruding arm. · A branch of a deer's antler; the horn of a unicorn; a tooth of a harrow; a spike.

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

From Middle English tind, tynd, from Old English tind (“tine, prong, tooth”), from Proto-West Germanic *tind, from Proto-Germanic *tindaz (“prong, pinnacle”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts (“tooth, projection”). Cognate with Dutch tinne (“battlement”), German Zinne (“pinnacle, battlement”), Danish tinde (“pinnacle, battlement”), Dutch tinne (“tooth of a rake”), Icelandic tindur (“spike, tooth of a rake or harrow, pinnacle, peak, battlement”). Cf. the related tine. Also more distantly related to Dutch tand (“tooth, tine”), English tooth.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontindenm
  • Inherited-form mentiontindang · tine, prong, tooth
  • Inherited-form mention*tindgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*tindazgem-pro · prong, pinnacle
  • Derivation mention*h₃déntsine-pro · tooth, projection
  • Cognate mentiontinnenl
  • Cognate mentionZinnede
  • Cognate mentiontindeda
  • Cognate mentiontinduris
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tind"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tind"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "tind",
        "t": "tine, prong, tooth"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tind (“tine, prong, tooth”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*tind"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *tind"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*tindaz",
        "t": "prong, pinnacle"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *tindaz (“prong, pinnacle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₃dénts",
        "t": "tooth, projection"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts (“tooth, projection”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "tinne",
        "3": "",
        "4": "battlement"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch tinne (“battlement”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Zinne",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pinnacle, battlement"
      },
      "expansion": "German Zinne (“pinnacle, battlement”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "tinde",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pinnacle, battlement"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish tinde (“pinnacle, battlement”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "tinne",
        "3": "",
        "4": "tooth of a rake"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch tinne (“tooth of a rake”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "tindur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spike, tooth of a rake or harrow, pinnacle, peak, battlement"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic tindur (“spike, tooth of a rake or harrow, pinnacle, peak, battlement”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tind",
      "tind#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tynd",
      "tynd#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tind",
      "tind#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*tind",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/tind"
    ],
    [
      "*tindaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tindaz"
    ],
    [
      "*h₃dénts",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₃dénts"
    ],
    [
      "tinne",
      "tinne#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Zinne",
      "Zinne#German"
    ],
    [
      "tinde",
      "tinde#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "tinne",
      "tinne#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "tindur",
      "tindur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "tine",
      "tine#English"
    ],
    [
      "tand",
      "tand#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "tooth",
      "tooth#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A prong or something projecting like a prong; an animal's horn; a branch or limb of a tree; a protruding arm.",
        "A branch of a deer's antler; the horn of a unicorn; a tooth of a harrow; a spike."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "5480191786efc7c16da156e047f516e8b2337f561f1299e0db07d65d69c45958",
      "rawRecordSha256": "31df4a4e07550dc00e5b1f710e80d708d3acfd821bdd7a146ebab5dcc6a6a103",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 494250
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 tind →

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-dGluZA