BENTS
Noun
bents
plural of bent
Source: Wiktionary
BENT
Bent,
Definition: imp. & p. p. of Bend.
Bent, a. & p. p.
1. Changed by pressure so as to be no longer straight; crooked; as, a
bent pin; a bent lever.
2. Strongly inclined toward something, so as to be resolved,
determined, set, etc.; -- said of the mind, character, disposition,
desires, etc., and used with on; as, to be bent on going to college;
he is bent on mischief.
Bent, n. Etym: [See Bend, n. & v.]
1. The state of being curved, crooked, or inclined from a straight
line; flexure; curvity; as, the bent of a bow. [Obs.] Wilkins.
2. A declivity or slope, as of a hill. [R.] Dryden.
3. A leaning or bias; proclivity; tendency of mind; inclination;
disposition; purpose; aim. Shak.
With a native bent did good pursue. Dryden.
4. Particular direction or tendency; flexion; course.
Bents and turns of the matter. Locke.
5. (Carp.)
Definition: A transverse frame of a framed structure.
6. Tension; force of acting; energy; impetus. [Archaic]
The full bent and stress of the soul. Norris.
Syn.
– Predilection; turn. Bent, Bias, Inclination, Prepossession. These
words agree in describing a permanent influence upon the mind which
tends to decide its actions. Bent denotes a fixed tendency of the
mind in a given direction. It is the widest of these terms, and
applies to the will, the intellect, and the affections, taken
conjointly; as, the whole bent of his character was toward evil
practices. Bias is literally a weight fixed on one side of a ball
used in bowling, and causing it to swerve from a straight course.
Used figuratively, bias applies particularly to the judgment, and
denotes something which acts with a permanent force on the character
through that faculty; as, the bias of early education, early habits,
etc. Inclination is an excited state of desire or appetency; as, a
strong inclination to the study of the law. Prepossession is a
mingled state of feeling and opinion in respect to some person or
subject, which has laid hold of and occupied the mind previous to
inquiry. The word is commonly used in a good sense, an unfavorable
impression of this kind being denominated a prejudice. "Strong minds
will be strongly bent, and usually labor under a strong bias; but
there is no mind so weak and powerless as not to have its
inclinations, and none so guarded as to be without its
prepossessions." Crabb.
Bent, n. Etym: [AS. beonet; akin to OHG. pinuz, G. binse, rush, bent
grass; of unknown origin.]
1. A reedlike grass; a stalk of stiff, coarse grass.
His spear a bent, both stiff and strong. Drayton.
2. (Bot.)
Definition: A grass of the genus Agrostis, esp. Agrostis vulgaris, or
redtop. The name is also used of many other grasses, esp. in America.
3. Any neglected field or broken ground; a common; a moor. [Obs.]
Wright.
Bowmen bickered upon the bent. Chevy Chase.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition