Main Entry: ¹band

Pronunciation: \ˈband\

Function: noun

Etymology: in senses 1 & 2, from Middle English band, bond something that constricts, from Old Norse band; akin to Old English bindan to bind; in other senses, from Middle English bande strip, from Middle French, from Vulgar Latin *binda, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German binta fillet; akin to Old English bindan to bind, bend fetter — more at bind

Date: 12th century

1 : something that confines or constricts while allowing a degree of movement
2 : something that binds or restrains legally, morally, or spiritually
3 : a strip serving to join or hold things together: as a : belt 2 b : a cord or strip across the back of a book to which the sections are sewn
4 : a thin flat encircling strip: as a : a close-fitting strip that confines material at the waist, neck, or cuff of clothing b : a strip of cloth used to protect a newborn baby's navel —called also bellyband c : a ring of elastic
5 a : a strip (as of living tissue or rock) or a stripe (as on an animal) differentiable (as by color, texture, or structure) from the adjacent material or area b : a more or less well-defined range of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies c : range 7a
6 : a narrow strip serving chiefly as decoration: as a : a narrow strip of material applied as trimming to an article of dress b plural : a pair of strips hanging at the front of the neck as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress c : a ring without raised portions
7 : track 1e(2)