What is the Latin word for bend?

The usual Latin words for “bend” are flectō, īnflectō, curvō; also incurvō, moveō, frangō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“bend” in Latin

flectōto bend, curve or bow; to deviate, distract; to turn or curl īnflectōto bend, curve, bow; to turn aside; to alter, influence, affect curvōto crook, bend, bow, curve incurvōto bend inwards, bow, curve moveōto move, stir, set in motion; to disturb, shake, remove; to arouse, excite, promote, produce frangōto break, shatter; to break, shatter (a promise, a treaty, someone's ideas (dreams, projects), someone's spirit); to bre dēprimōto press down; to depress; to suppress, repress or silence; to disparage dēbilitōto cripple or maim; to debilitate, unnerve, disable or weaken afflīgōto strike, beat, dash (against); cast or throw down, prostrate; to afflict, damage, injure, crush, break or ruin; to hum dīrigōto lay straight; arrange in lines (especially in military contexts); to direct to a place, guide, steer; to distribute,

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

bend v.

flectere, inflectere; curvare, incurvare. To bend downward, deflectere: upward, sursum flectere: inward, inflectere: backward, reflectere or retro flectere, recurvare: sideways, obliquare. Bent, bending, inflexus, incurvus: backward, recurvatus, recurvus. To bend a bow, arcum intendere, contendere: to hend the knee, Vid: KNEE. Easy to bend, flexibilis. INTR., to bend, flecti, se flectere, inflecti; curvari, incurvari, incurvescere.

Move, affect, flectere, movere; animos hominum oratione flectere or movere.

Depress, break, frangere, deprimere; debilitare; affligere. (The words are found in this connection and order), affligere et debilitare. Pain does not bend the mind of a brave man, viri non est debilitari dolore, dolori occumbere: to bend anybody’s pride, alicujus superbiam retundere (Phaedrus).

Direct any whither, dirigere (ad aliquid), convertere (in aliquid). All eyes are bent on you, omnium oculi in te sunt conjecti.

Apply: the mind, the thoughts, etc., to anything, animum ad aliquid attendere, adjicere, applicare; cogitationes in aliquid intendere, omni cogitatione ferri ad aliquid. Bent, intent, attentus, intentus; resolutely, obstinatus. INTR., to bend to anybody, submittere se alicui, supplicem esse alicui. Old age bending to the grave, aetas grandior or declinata. Their hope bending neither way, neutro inclinata spes.

bend

curvamen (probably first used by Ov., “bend” as an abiding state): curvitas (Macrobius): aduncitas (curvature the latter especially of what is bent inward, e.g., of a beak, rostri): curvatura (Vitr., Plin.): flexura (Lucr., Suet.: bending with reference to other motions in space): flexus (winding, turning: pons - in quo est flexus ad iter Arpinas, Cic.): an fractus (a break in the continuity of anything’s direction; e, g., of a horn, the course of the sun. etc., but especially of a road; hence, from context, anfiractus only for a “turn in the road”).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for bend?: The usual Latin words for “bend” are flectō, īnflectō, curvō; also incurvō, moveō, frangō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.