Band


a company of persons or, sometimes, animals or things, joined, acting, or functioning together; aggregation; party; troop:
a band of protesters.
Music.

a group of instrumentalists playing music of a specialized type:
rock band; calypso band; mariachi band.
a musical group, usually employing brass, percussion, and often woodwind instruments, that plays especially for marching or open-air performances.
big band.
dance band.

a division of a nomadic tribe; a group of individuals who move and camp together and subsist by hunting and gathering.
a group of persons living outside the law:
a renegade band.
to unite in a troop, company, or confederacy.
to unite; confederate (often followed by together):
They banded together to oust the chairman.
to beat the band, Informal. energetically; abundantly:
It rained all day to beat the band.
a thin, flat strip of some material for binding, confining, trimming, protecting, etc.:
a band on each bunch of watercress.
a fillet, belt, or strap:
a band for the hair; a band for connecting pulleys.
a stripe, as of color or decorative work.
a strip of paper or other material serving as a label:
a cigar band.
a plain or simply styled ring, without mounted gems or the like:
a thin gold band on his finger.
(on a long-playing phonograph record) one of a set of grooves in which sound has been recorded, separated from an adjacent set or sets by grooves without recorded sound.
bands, Geneva bands.
a flat collar commonly worn by men and women in the 17th century in western Europe.
Also called frequency band, wave band. Radio and Television. a specific range of frequencies, especially a set of radio frequencies, as HF, VHF, and UHF.
Also called energy band. Physics. a closely spaced group of energy levels of electrons in a solid.
Computers. one or more tracks or channels on a magnetic drum.
Dentistry. a strip of thin metal encircling a tooth, usually for anchoring an orthodontic apparatus.
Anatomy, Zoology. a ribbonlike or cordlike structure encircling, binding, or connecting a part or parts.
(in handbound books) one of several cords of hemp or flax handsewn across the back of the collated signatures of a book to provide added strength.
to mark, decorate, or furnish with a band or bands.
Usually, bands. articles for binding the person or the limbs; shackles; manacles; fetters.
an obligation; bond:
the nuptial bands.
two bands or pendent stripes made usually of white lawn and worn at the throat as part of clerical garb, originally by the Swiss Calvinist clergy.
Contemporary Examples

The band is well aware of this, and of how changing dynamics affected the music.
Interpol on the Arrogance of Believing Their Own Myth and Life After Carlos D. Melissa Leon September 7, 2014

Thompson: The agreement among the band members that we were going to do it.
The Pixies Talk About Their Reunion, New Music and a Missing Band Member Andrew Romano September 19, 2013

The Stones have now boldly gone where no band has gone before.
Is Mick Jagger Too Old to Rock? Andrew Romano July 25, 2013

In late night, the beginning of a program matters most; the last segment can be tossed to a band or a comic.
Leno’s Regrets Kim Masters May 30, 2009

The band was still on its way back as De Blasio and his wife departed.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss Michael Daly January 4, 2015

Historical Examples

Returning to the mountain, the fairies, in a band, went with him to the great rock.
Welsh Fairy Tales William Elliott Griffis

They must have thought you had a band of hunters behind you.
The Armourer’s Prentices Charlotte M. Yonge

Soon after he took an engagement in the band of the Prince of Donaueschingen.
The Violoncello and Its History Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski

All the band were aware that neither of these daring deeds would be done.
Tiverton Tales Alice Brown

We who were not leaders of the “band” wondered what desperate thing we were about to try.
With Fire and Sword Samuel H. M. Byers

noun
a company of people having a common purpose; group: a band of outlaws
a group of musicians playing either brass and percussion instruments only (brass band) or brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments (concert band or military band)
a group of musicians who play popular music, jazz, etc, often for dancing
a group of instrumentalists generally; orchestra
(Canadian) a formally recognized group of Canadian Indians on a reserve
(anthropol) a division of a tribe; a family group or camp group
(US & Canadian) a flock or herd
verb
(usually foll by together) to unite; assemble
noun
a thin flat strip of some material, used esp to encircle objects and hold them together: a rubber band

a strip of fabric or other material used as an ornament or distinguishing mark, or to reinforce clothing
(in combination): waistband, hairband, hatband

a stripe of contrasting colour or texture See also chromosome band
a driving belt in machinery
a range of values that are close or related in number, degree, or quality

(physics) a range of frequencies or wavelengths between two limits
(radio) such a range allocated to a particular broadcasting station or service

short for energy band
(computing) one or more tracks on a magnetic disk or drum
(anatomy) any structure resembling a ribbon or cord that connects, encircles, or binds different parts
the cords to which the folded sheets of a book are sewn
a thin layer or seam of ore
(architect) a strip of flat panelling, such as a fascia or plinth, usually attached to a wall
a large white collar, sometimes edged with lace, worn in the 17th century
either of a pair of hanging extensions of the collar, forming part of academic, legal, or (formerly) clerical dress
a ring for the finger (esp in phrases such as wedding band, band of gold, etc)
verb (transitive)
to fasten or mark with a band
(US & Canadian) to ring (a bird) See ring1 (sense 22)
noun
an archaic word for bond (sense 1), bond (sense 3), bond (sense 4)
plural noun
a pair of white lawn or linen strips hanging from the front of the neck or collar of some ecclesiastical and academic robes
n.

“a flat strip,” also “something that binds,” a merger of two words, ultimately from the same source. In the sense “that by which someone or something is bound,” it is attested from early 12c., from Old Norse band “thin strip that ties or constrains,” from Proto-Germanic *bindan, from PIE *bendh- “to bind” (cf. Gothic bandi “that which binds; Sanskrit bandhah “a tying, bandage,” source of bandana; Middle Irish bainna “bracelet;” see bend (v.), bind (v.)). Most of the figurative senses of this word have passed into bond (n.), which originally was a phonetic variant of this band.

The meaning “a flat strip” (late 14c.) is from Old French bande “strip, edge, side,” via Old North French bende, from Old High German binda, from Proto-Germanic *bindan (see above). In Middle English, this was distinguished by the spelling bande, but since the loss of the final -e the words have fully merged. Meaning “broad stripe of color” is from late 15c.; the electronics sense of “range of frequencies or wavelengths” is from 1922. The Old North French form was retained in heraldic bend. Band saw is recorded from 1864.

“an organized group,” late 15c., from Middle French bande, which is traceable to the Proto-Germanic root of band (n.1), probably via a band of cloth worn as a mark of identification by a group of soldiers or others (cf. Gothic bandwa “a sign”). The extension to “group of musicians” is c.1660, originally musicians attached to a regiment of the army. To beat the band (1897) is to make enough noise to drown it out, hence to exceed everything.
v.

1520s, “to bind or fasten;” also “to join in a company,” from band (n.1) and (n.2) in various noun senses, and partly from French bander. The meaning “to affix an ID band to (a wild animal, etc.)” is attested from 1914. Related: Banded; banding.

band (bānd)
n.

An appliance or a part of an apparatus that encircles or binds a part of the body.

A cordlike tissue that connects or that holds bodily structures together.

A chromatically, structurally, or functionally differentiated strip or stripe in or on an organism.

band
(bānd)
A specific range of electromagnetic wavelengths or frequencies, as those used in radio broadcasting.

Related Terms

big band, to beat the band
see:

on the bandwagon
to beat the band

Read Also:

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    a strip of cloth or other material used to bind up a wound, sore, sprain, etc. anything used as a band or ligature. to bind or cover with a bandage: to bandage the ankles of a football player to prevent sprains. to put a bandage on a wound, sprain, etc.: Apply some iodine before you […]

  • Band-aid

    a brand of adhesive bandage with a gauze pad in the center, used to cover minor abrasions and cuts. (often lowercase) Informal. a makeshift, limited, or temporary aid or solution that does not satisfy the basic or long-range need: The proposed reform isn’t thorough enough to be more than just a band-aid. (often lowercase) Informal. […]

  • Bandanna

    a large, printed handkerchief, typically one with white spots or figures on a red or blue background. any large scarf for the neck or head. Contemporary Examples Furry puts the bandanna in his pocket and moves on, walking behind the cart. Stanley Booth on the Life and Hard Times of Blues Genius Furry Lewis Stanley […]

  • Bandbox

    a lightweight box of pasteboard, thin wood, etc., for holding a hat, clerical collars, or other articles of apparel. an area or structure that is smaller in dimensions or size than the standard: It’s easy to hit home runs out of this bandbox. Historical Examples She looks as if she had just stepped out of […]

  • Band brake

    a brake using a brake band.


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