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subtend

[ suhb-tend, suhb- ]
/ səbˈtɛnd, sʌb- /
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verb (used with object)
Geometry. to extend under or be opposite to: a chord subtending an arc.
Botany. (of a leaf, bract, etc.) to occur beneath or close to.
to form or mark the outline or boundary of.
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Origin of subtend

1560–70; <Latin subtendere to stretch beneath, equivalent to sub-sub- + tendere to stretch; see tend1

Words nearby subtend

subsystem, subtangent, subteen, subtemperate, subtenant, subtend, subtenure, subterfuge, subterminal, subternatural, subterrane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to subtend

span, traverse, unite, attach, bind, branch, couple, cross, join, link, reach, cross over, go over

How to use subtend in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subtend

subtend
/ (səbˈtɛnd) /
verb (tr)
geometry to be opposite to and delimit (an angle or side)
(of a bract, stem, etc) to have (a bud or similar part) growing in its axil
to mark off
to underlie; be inherent in

Word Origin for subtend

C16: from Latin subtendere to extend beneath, from sub- + tendere to stretch out
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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