having power to bind or oblige; obligatory: a binding promise.
Origin of binding
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at bind, -ing1, -ing2
Related formsbind·ing·ly, adverbbind·ing·ness, nounnon·bind·ing, adjectivenon·bind·ing·ly, adverbnon·bind·ing·ness, noun
bind
[bahynd]
verb (used with object),bound,bind·ing.
to fasten or secure with a band or bond.
to encircle with a band or ligature: She bound her hair with a ribbon.
to swathe or bandage (often followed by up): to bind up one's wounds.
to fasten around; fix in place by girding: They bound his hands behind him.
to tie up (anything, as sheaves of grain).
to cause to cohere: Ice bound the soil.
to unite by any legal or moral tie: to be bound by a contract.
to hold to a particular state, place, employment, etc.: Business kept him bound to the city.
to place under obligation or compulsion (usually used passively): We are bound by good sense to obey the country's laws.
Law. to put under legal obligation, as to keep the peace or appear as a witness (often followed by over): This action binds them to keep the peace. He was bound over to the grand jury.
to make compulsory or obligatory: to bind the order with a deposit.
to fasten or secure within a cover, as a book: They will bind the new book in leather.
to cover the edge of, as for protection or ornament: to bind a carpet.
(of clothing) to chafe or restrict (the wearer): This shirt binds me under the arms.
Medicine/Medical. to hinder or restrain (the bowels) from their natural operations; constipate.
to indenture as an apprentice (often followed by out): In his youth his father bound him to a blacksmith.
verb (used without object),bound,bind·ing.
to become compact or solid; cohere.
to be obligatory: an obligation that binds.
to chafe or restrict, as poorly fitting garments: This jacket binds through the shoulders.
to stick fast, as a drill in a hole.
Falconry. (of a hawk) to grapple or grasp prey firmly in flight.
noun
the act or process of binding; the state or instance of being bound.
something that binds.
Music. a tie, slur, or brace.
Falconry. the act of binding prey in flight.
Informal. a difficult situation or predicament: This schedule has us in a bind.
Verb Phrases
bind off, Textiles. to loop (one stitch) over another in making an edge on knitted fabric.
Origin of bind
before 1000;Middle Englishbinden (v.), Old Englishbindan; cognate with Old High Germanbintan,Old Norsebinda,Gothicbindan,Sanskritbandhati (he) binds
Related formsbind·a·ble, adjectivemis·bind, verb,mis·bound,mis·bind·ing.re·bind, verb,re·bound,re·bind·ing.Can be confusedbindbound
mid-13c., verbal noun from bind (v.). Meaning "thing that binds" is from c.1300; "state of being bound" is from late 14c. Meaning "covering of a book" is recorded from 1640s.
bind
v.
Old English bindan "to tie up with bonds" (literally and figuratively), also "to make captive; to cover with dressings and bandages" (class III strong verb; past tense band, past participle bunden), from Proto-Germanic *bindan (cf. Old Saxon bindan, Old Norse and Old Frisian binda, Old High German binten "to bind," German binden, Gothic bindan), from PIE root *bhendh- "to bind" (see bend). Intransitive sense of "stick together" is from 1670s. Of books, from c.1400.
bind
n.
"anything that binds," in various senses, late Old English, from bind (v.). Meaning "tight or awkward situation" is from 1851.
To combine with, form a bond with, or be taken up by a chemical or chemical structure. An enzyme, for example, is structured in such a way as to be able to bind with its substrate.
