band

Meanings

Noun

• A strip of material used for strengthening or coupling.
• A long strip of material, color, etc, that is different from the surrounding area.
• A strip of decoration.
• That which serves as the means of union or connection between persons; a tie.
• A linen collar or ruff worn in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Two strips of linen hanging from the neck in front as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress.
• A part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• A group of energy levels in a solid state material.
• A bond.
• Pledge; security.
• A ring, such as a wedding ring (wedding band), or a ring put on a bird's leg to identify it.
• Any distinguishing line formed by chromatography, electrophoresis etc
• A wad of money totaling $1K, held together by a band; money
• A group of musicians who perform together as an ensemble, usually for a professional recording artist.
• A type of orchestra originally playing janissary music.
• A marching band.
• A group of people loosely united for a common purpose .
• A small group of people living in a simple society, contrasted with tribes, chiefdoms, and states.
• A group of aboriginals that has official recognition as an organized unit by the federal government of Canada.

Verb

• To fasten with a band.
• To fasten an identifying band around the leg of (a bird).
• To group together for a common purpose; to confederate.
• To group (students) together by perceived ability; to stream.
• Past of bind

Related

Narrower meaning words

• elastic band
• gum band
• hairband
• lacquer band
• one-man band
• rubber band
• smart band
• wedding band

Origin

• From Middle English band (also bond), from Old English beand, bænd, bend, from Proto-Germanic *bandą, *bandiz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- ("to tie, bind"). Middle English band reinforced by Old French bande. Cognate with Dutch band, German Band, Danish bånd, Swedish band, Icelandic bandur ("band"). Related to bond, bind, bend.
• From Middle English band, from Old French bande, from Old Occitan banda ("regiment of troops"), perhaps from Frankish *bend, from Proto-Germanic *bandiz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- ("to tie; bond, band"). Compare German Bande ("band").