Adjacent Words

Band definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BAND, n.[See Bind and Bend.]
1. A fillet; a cord; a tie; a chain; any narrow ligament with which a thing is bound, tied or fastened, or by which a number of things are confined together.
2. In architecture, any flat low member of molding, broad but not deep, called also fascia, face or plinth.
3. Figuratively, any chain; any means of restraint; that which draws or confines.
4. Means of union or connection between persons; as, Hymen's bands.
5. Any thing bound round or encircling another.
6. Something worn about the neck; as the bands of clergymen.
7. A company of soldiers; the body of men united under one flag or ensign. Also, indefinitely, a troop, a body of armed men.
2 Kings 6.
8. A company of persons united in any common design; as a band of brothers.
9. A slip of canvas, sewed across a sail to strengthen it.
The band of pensioners in England, is a company of 120 gentlemen, who receive a yearly allowance of f100st., for attending the king on solemn occasions.
The bands of a saddle are two pieces of iron nailed upon the bows, to hold them in their proper situation.
BAND, v.t. To bind together; to bind over with a band.
2. To unite in a troop, company or confederacy.
BAND, v.i. To unite; to associate; to confederate for some common purpose. Acts 23.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an unofficial association of people or groups; "the smart set goes there"; "they were an angry lot" [syn: set, circle, band, lot]
2: instrumentalists not including string players
3: a stripe or stripes of contrasting color; "chromosomes exhibit characteristic bands"; "the black and yellow banding of bees and wasps" [syn: band, banding, stria, striation]
4: an adornment consisting of a strip of a contrasting color or material [syn: band, banding, stripe]
5: a group of musicians playing popular music for dancing [syn: dance band, band, dance orchestra]
6: a range of frequencies between two limits
7: a thin flat strip of flexible material that is worn around the body or one of the limbs (especially to decorate the body)
8: a cord-like tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure [syn: isthmus, band]
9: jewelry consisting of a circlet of precious metal (often set with jewels) worn on the finger; "she had rings on every finger"; "he noted that she wore a wedding band" [syn: ring, band]
10: a driving belt in machinery
11: a thin flat strip or loop of flexible material that goes around or over something else, typically to hold it together or as a decoration
12: a strip of material attached to the leg of a bird to identify it (as in studies of bird migration) [syn: band, ring]
13: a restraint put around something to hold it together v
1: bind or tie together, as with a band
2: attach a ring to the foot of, in order to identify; "ring birds"; "band the geese to observe their migratory patterns" [syn: ring, band]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: in senses 1 & 2, from Middle English band, bond something that constricts, from Old Norse band; akin to Old English bindan to bind; in other senses, from Middle English bande strip, from Middle French, from Vulgar Latin *binda, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German binta fillet; akin to Old English bindan to bind, bend fetter — more at bind Date: 12th century 1. something that confines or constricts while allowing a degree of movement 2. something that binds or restrains legally, morally, or spiritually 3. a strip serving to join or hold things together: as a. belt 2 b. a cord or strip across the back of a book to which the sections are sewn 4. a thin flat encircling strip: as a. a close-fitting strip that confines material at the waist, neck, or cuff of clothing b. a strip of cloth used to protect a newborn baby's navel — called also bellyband c. a ring of elastic 5. a. a strip (as of living tissue or rock) or a stripe (as on an animal) differentiable (as by color, texture, or structure) from the adjacent material or area b. a more or less well-defined range of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies c. range 7a 6. a narrow strip serving chiefly as decoration: as a. a narrow strip of material applied as trimming to an article of dress b. plural a pair of strips hanging at the front of the neck as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress c. a ring without raised portions 7. track 1e(2) II. verb Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to affix a band to or tie up with a band 2. to finish or decorate with a band 3. to gather together ; unite <banded themselves together for protection> intransitive verb to unite for a common purpose — often used with together <have banded together in hopes of attacking the blight that is common to them all — J. B. Conant> • bander noun III. noun Etymology: Middle French bande troop, from Old Occitan banda, of Germanic origin; akin to Gothic bandwo sign, standard — more at banner Date: 15th century a group of persons, animals, or things; especially a group of musicians organized for ensemble playing

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a flat, thin strip or loop of material (e.g. paper, metal, or cloth) put round something esp. to hold it together or decorate it (headband). 2 a a strip of material forming part of a garment (hatband; waistband). b a stripe of a different colour or material on an object. 3 a a range of frequencies or wavelengths in a spectrum (esp. of radio frequencies). b a range of values within a series. 4 Mech. a belt connecting wheels or pulleys. 5 (in pl.) a collar having two hanging strips, worn by some lawyers, ministers, and academics in formal dress. 6 archaic a thing that restrains, binds, connects, or unites; a bond. --v.tr. 1 put a band on. 2 a mark with stripes. b (as banded adj.) Bot. & Zool. marked with coloured bands or stripes. Phrases and idioms: band-saw a mechanical saw with a blade formed by an endless toothed band. Etymology: ME f. OF bande, bende (sense 6 f. ON band) f. Gmc 2. n. & v. --n. 1 an organized group of people having a common object, esp. of a criminal nature (band of cutthroats). 2 a a group of musicians, esp. playing wind instruments (brass band; military band). b a group of musicians playing jazz, pop, or dance music. c colloq. an orchestra. 3 US a herd or flock. --v.tr. & intr. form into a group for a purpose (band together for mutual protection). Phrases and idioms: Band of Hope an association promoting total abstinence from alcohol. Etymology: ME f. OF bande, bander, med.L banda, prob. of Gmc orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Band Band (b[a^]nd), n. [OE. band, bond, Icel. band; akin to G., Sw., & D. band, OHG. bant, Goth. banti, Skr. bandha a binding, bandh to bind, for bhanda, bhandh, also to E. bend, bind. In sense 7, at least, it is fr. F. bande, from OHG. bant. [root]90 See Bind, v. t., and cf. Bend, Bond, 1st Bandy.] 1. A fillet, strap, or any narrow ligament with which a thing is encircled, or fastened, or by which a number of things are tied, bound together, or confined; a fetter. Every one's bands were loosed. --Acts xvi. 26. 2. (Arch.) (a) A continuous tablet, stripe, or series of ornaments, as of carved foliage, of color, or of brickwork, etc. (b) In Gothic architecture, the molding, or suite of moldings, which encircles the pillars and small shafts. 3. That which serves as the means of union or connection between persons; a tie. ``To join in Hymen's bands.'' --Shak. 4. A linen collar or ruff worn in the 16th and 17th centuries. 5. pl. Two strips of linen hanging from the neck in front as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress. 6. A narrow strip of cloth or other material on any article of dress, to bind, strengthen, ornament, or complete it. ``Band and gusset and seam.'' --Hood.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Band Band (b[a^]nd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banded; p. pr. & vb. n. Banding.] 1. To bind or tie with a band. 2. To mark with a band. 3. To unite in a troop, company, or confederacy. ``Banded against his throne.'' --Milton. Banded architrave, pier, shaft, etc. (Arch.), an architrave, pier, etc., of which the regular profile is interrupted by blocks or projections crossing it at right angles.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Band Band, v. i. To confederate for some common purpose; to unite; to conspire together. Certain of the Jews banded together. --Acts xxiii. 12.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Band Band, v. t. To bandy; to drive away. [Obs.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Band Band, imp. of Bind. [Obs.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bands, banding, banded) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A band is a small group of musicians who play popular music such as jazz, rock, or pop. He was a drummer in a rock band... Local bands provide music for dancing. N-COUNT-COLL see also one-man band 2. A band is a group of musicians who play brass and percussion instruments. Bands played German marches. N-COUNT-COLL see also brass band 3. A band of people is a group of people who have joined together because they share an interest or belief. Bands of government soldiers, rebels and just plain criminals have been roaming some neighborhoods. ...a small but growing band of Japanese companies taking their first steps into American publishing. N-COUNT-COLL: with supp 4. A band is a flat, narrow strip of cloth which you wear round your head or wrists, or which forms part of a piece of clothing. Almost all hospitals use a wrist-band of some kind with your name and details on it. N-COUNT see also armband, hatband, waistband 5. A band is a strip of something such as colour, light, land, or cloth which contrasts with the areas on either side of it. ...bands of natural vegetation between strips of crops... A band of light glowed in the space between floor and door. N-COUNT: with supp 6. A band is a strip or loop of metal or other strong material which strengthens something, or which holds several things together. Surgeons placed a metal band around the knee cap to help it knit back together. ...a strong band of flat muscle tissue. N-COUNT see also elastic band, rubber band 7. A band is a range of numbers or values within a system of measurement. ...a new tax band of 20p in the pound on the first £2,000 of taxable income. N-COUNT: usu with supp see also waveband 8. see also wedding band

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

The English word has two generic meanings, each shading off into several specific meanings:

(1) that which holds together, binds or encircles: a bond;

(2) a company of men. The second sense may philologically and logically have been derived from the first, men being held together by social ties. Both meanings appear in Old Testament and New Testament representing various Hebrew and Greek words.

(1) A band

(a) ('ecur): a flaxen rope (Jud 15:14); a band of iron and brass (Da 4:15,23); metaphorically used of a false woman's hands (Ec 7:26).

(b) (chebhel): "The bands of the wicked have robbed me" (the King James Version of Ps 119:61), where "bands" = "troops" by mistr; the Revised Version (British and American) "The cords of the wicked have wrapped me round"; plural chobhlim = "bands" = the name of the prophet's symbolic staff representing the brotherhood between Judah and Israel (Zec 11:7,14).

(c) (`abhoth): "I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love" (Ho 11:4; compare Eze 3:25; 4:8; Job 39:10).

(d) (saphah): the edge of the round opening in the robe of the ephod with a band (the Revised Version (British and American) "binding") round about the hole of it (only in Ex 39:23).

(e) (chartsubboth): bands (the Revised Version (British and American) "bonds") of wickedness (Isa 58:6); bands (= pains) in death (Ps 73:4); the Revised Version, margin ("pangs," Cheyne, "torments").

(f) (moTah): the cross bar of oxen's yoke, holding them together (Le 26:13; Eze 34:27 the King James Version; the Revised Version (British and American) "bars").

(g) (mocer): a fetter: "Who hath loosed the bonds of the swift ass?" (Job 39:5; Ps 2:3; 107:14; Isa 28:22; 52:2; Jer 2:20; all in the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American)). The same Hebrew word (in Ps 116:16; Jer 5:5; 27:2; 30:8; Na 1:13) is translated "bonds " in the King James Version, and in the English Revised Version of Ps 116:16, and Na 1:13, but "bands" in the English Revised Version of Jer 5:5; 27:2; 30:8; the American Standard Revised Version has "bonds" throughout. See BOND.

(h) (moshekhoth): "Canst thou .... loose the bands of Orion?" (only in Job 38:31).

(i) (desmos, sundesmos): a fetter: that which binds together: of the chains of a lunatic or prisoner (Lu 8:29; Ac 16:26; 22:30 the King James Version), metaphorically of the mystic union of Christ and the church (Col 2:19). These words are often translated by "bond" in the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American).

(j) (zeukteria): the rudder's bands (only in Ac 27:40).

(2) A company of men

(a) (gedhudh): a band of soldiers (2Sa 4:2; 1Ki 11:24, the King James Version; 2Ki 6:23; 13:20,21; 24:2; 1Ch 7:4; 12:18,21; 2Ch 22:1). So the Revised Version (British and American) (except in 1Ki 11:24, "troop").

(b) (ro'sh): "head" = "division": "The Chaldeans made three bands" (Job 1:17); 1Ch 12:23 the Revised Version (British and American) translates "heads."

(c) (chayil): "a band of men" the Revised Version (British and American) the "host" (only in 1Sa 10:26).

(d) ('aghappim): "the wings of an army," only in Ezekiel, armies of the King of Judah (12:14; 17:21); of Gomer and of Togarmah (38:6); of Gog (the Revised Version (British and American) "hordes") (38:9,22; 39:4).

(e) (machaneh): "camp": only in Ge 32:7,10; the Revised Version (British and American) "companies."

(f) (chotsets): of locusts dividing into companies or swarms (Pr 30:27).

(g) (speira): usually a "cohort" (see the Revised Version, margin) of Roman soldiers; the tenth part of a legion, about 600 men: (Mt 27:27; Mr 15:16; Ac 10:1; 21:31; 27:1). A smaller detachment of soldiers (Joh 18:3,12; compare 2 Macc 8:23; Judith 1:4:11).

(h) (poiein sustrophen): "to make a conspiracy": "The Jews banded together" (Ac 23:12).

T. Rees

(3) The Augustan Band (speira Sebaste) to which Julius, the Roman centurion who had charge of Paul as a prisoner on his voyage to Rome, belonged, was a cohort apparently stationed at Caesarea at the time (Ac 27:1). Schurer (GJV, I3, 461 f) is of opinion that it was one of five cohorts mentioned by Josephus, recruited in Samaria and called Sebastenes from the Greek name of the city of Samaria (Sebaste). This particular cohort had in all likelihood for its full name Cohors Augusta Sebastenorum, Augusta being an honorific title of which examples are found in the case of auxiliary troops. Sir William Ramsay, following Mommsen (Paul the Traveler, 315, 348), thinks it denotes a body of legionary centurions, selected from legions serving abroad, who were employed by the emperor on confidential business between the provinces and Rome, the title Augustan being conferred upon them as a mark of favor and distinction. The grounds on which the views of Mommsen and Ramsay rest are questioned by Professor Zahn (Introduction to the New Testament, I, 551 ff), and more evidence is needed to establish them.

See ARMY (ROMAN).

(4) The Italian Band (speira Italike) was a cohort composed of volunteer Roman citizens born in Italy and stationed at Caesarea at this time (Ac 10:1). Schurer maintains that there could have been no Roman cohort there at this time, although he accepts the testimony of inscriptions to the presence of an Italian cohort at a later time. He accordingly rejects the story of Cornelius, holding that the author of the Ac has given in this narrative conditions belonging to a later time (GJV, I3, 462 f). In reply to Schurer, Blass asks why one of the five cohorts mentioned by Josephus may not have been composed of Roman citizens living at Caesarea or Sebaste, and bearing this name (Blass, Acta Apostolorum, 124). From a recently discovered inscription, Sir W. M. Ramsay has ascertained that there was an Italian cohort stationed in Syria in 69 AD, which heightens the probability of one actually being found in Caesarea at 41-44 AD, and he shows that even if his cohort was at the time on duty elsewhere a centurion like Cornelius might well have been at Caesarea at the time mentioned (Expositor, 5th series, IV, V, with Schurer's rejoinder). The subject of detached service in the provinces of the Roman Empire is admittedly obscure, but nothing emerges in this discussion to cast doubt upon the historical character of Luke's narrative.

See ARMY (ROMAN).

T. Nicol.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Tie, ligature, ligament. 2. Cord, chain, fetter, manacle, shackle, bond. 3. Bandage, fillet, binding, cincture, girth, belt. 4. Company (especially of instrumental musicians), troop, gang, crew, horde, party, body, club, junto, coterie, clique, society, sodality, association.

Moby Thesaurus

Ace bandage, Band-Aid, Bund, German band, Mystik tape, Philharmonic, Rochdale cooperative, Scotch tape, accouple, accumulate, act in concert, act together, adhesive tape, affiliate, age group, agglutinate, alliance, ally, amalgamate, amass, amateur band, anklet, application, armlet, articulate, assemblage, assemble, assembly, associate, association, axis, band together, bandage, bandaging, bandeau, bar, battalion, batten, be in league, bed, bedding, begird, belt, belt in, bend, bespangle, bespeckle, bespot, bevy, big band, bind, bind up, binder, bloc, blotch, body, bond, border, brace, bracelet, bracket, brass, brass band, brass choir, brass quintet, brass section, brasses, bridge, bridge over, brigade, bunch, bundle, cabal, callithumpian band, cast, cataplasm, cellophane tape, cement, chain, chamber orchestra, channel, check, checker, cinch, cincture, cingulum, circle, citizens band, clap together, clique, cloth tape, club, club together, cluster, coact, coalesce, coalition, cohort, collaborate, collar, collarband, collect, college, collude, combination, combine, combo, common market, company, complement, compress, comprise, concatenate, concert, concert band, concord, concur, confederacy, confederate, confederation, conglobulate, conjoin, conjugate, connect, consociate, consolidate, conspire, consumer cooperative, contingent, cooperate, cooperative, cooperative society, copulate, corps, coterie, cotton, couche, council, couple, course, court plaster, cover, covey, crack, cravat, craze, credit union, crew, cross-hatching, crowd, customs union, dapple, dash, deck, delineation, desks, detachment, detail, diagonal, division, dixieland band, do business with, do up, dot, dotted line, dressing, earring, ecliptic, economic community, edge, elastic bandage, embrace, encincture, encircle, encompass, engird, ensemble, ensphere, epithem, equator, faction, fascia, federate, federation, fillet, finger ring, flake, fleck, fleet, floor, four-tailed bandage, freckle, free trade area, frequency band, friction tape, fuse, gallery, gamelan orchestra, gang, gather, gauze, get heads together, get together, gird, girdle, girt, girth, glue, go partners, great circle, group, grouping, groupment, hachure, hairline, hang together, harlequin, harmonize, hatching, hold together, hook up, hoop, horde, in-group, include, iris, jazz band, join, join in, join together, jug band, junta, keep, keep together, knot, lace, lash, lath, lay together, layer, league, league together, leash, ledge, level, ligula, ligule, line, lineation, link, lint, list, loop, lump together, machine, maculate, make common cause, marble, marbleize, marry, marshal, masking tape, mass, measures, merge, military band, mob, mobilize, motley, mottle, movement, neckband, necklace, nose ring, orchestra, out-group, outfit, overlayer, overstory, pack, pair, partner, partnership, party, peer group, pepper, phalanx, philharmonic, piece together, plank, plaster, plaster cast, plastic tape, platoon, play ball, pledget, police band, political machine, polychrome, polychromize, posse, poultice, pull together, put heads together, put together, quartet, quintet, quoit, radio channel, ragtime band, rainbow, reciprocate, regiment, ribband, ribbon, ring, rock-and-roll group, roll into one, roller, roller bandage, rope, rubber bandage, salon, score, seam, set, sextet, shelf, shortwave band, shred, skiffle band, slash, slat, sling, slip, society, solder, span, spangle, speck, speckle, spill, splice, spline, splint, splotch, sponge, spot, sprinkle, squad, stable, stage, stand together, standard band, steel band, step, stick together, stigmatize, stipple, story, strake, strap, stratum, streak, streaking, street band, stria, striate, striation, striature, striga, string, string band, string choir, string orchestra, string quartet, strings, striola, strip, stripe, striping, stroke, strop, stud, stupe, sublineation, substratum, superstratum, swaddle, swathe, swing band, symphony, symphony orchestra, taenia, take in, tampon, tape, tape measure, tapeline, tattoo, team, team up, tent, tessellate, thickness, throw in together, ticker tape, tie, tie in, tie up, tier, topsoil, tourniquet, triangular bandage, tribe, trio, troop, troupe, truss, twine around, underlayer, underline, underlining, underscore, underscoring, understory, understratum, unify, union, unionize, unite, unite efforts, variegate, vein, virgule, waits, weld, wing, wire, woodwind, woodwind choir, woodwind quartet, woodwinds, work together, wrap, wrap up, wreathe, wreathe around, wristband, wristlet, yoke, zodiac, zone