REND, verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive rent. [Eng. cranny, Latin crena, Gr.] 1. To separate any substance into parts with force or sudden violence; to tear asunder; to split; as, powder rends a rock in blasting; lightning rends an oak. An empire from its old foundation rent. I rend my tresses, and by breast I wound. Neither rend your clothes, lest ye die. Leviticus 10:6. 2. To separate or part with violence. I will surely rend the kingdom from thee. 1 Kings 11:11. To rend the heart, in Scripture, to have bitter sorrow for sin. Joel 2:13. To rend the heavens, to appear in majesty. Isaiah 64:1. REND differs somewhat from lacerate. We never say, to lacerate a rock or a kingdom, when we mean to express splitting or division. Lacerate is properly applicable to the tearing off of small pieces of a thing, as to lacerate the body with a whip or scourge; or to the tearing of the flesh or other thing without entire separation.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI