NYT Dictionary

WEND

/wɪ̟nd/
VerbNounWENDwend · 1 syllableGrade 8

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Meaning

To direct (one's way or course); pursue one's way; proceed upon some course or way.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Middle English wenden, from Old English wendan (“to turn, change, translate”), from Proto-West Germanic *wandijan, from Proto-Germanic *wandijaną (“to turn”), causative of *windaną (“to wind”), from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn, wind, braid”). Cognate with Dutch wenden (“to turn”), German wenden (“to turn, reverse”), Danish vende (“to turn”), Norwegian Bokmål vende (“to turn”), Norwegian Nynorsk venda (“to turn”), Swedish vända (“to turn, turn over, veer, direct”), Icelandic venda (“to wend, turn, change”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wandjan, “to cause to turn”). Related to wind (Etymology 2).

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

to betake oneselfcommutecruelfarefetchflitganghiejourneyproceed

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 8 recorded puzzles:

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