band¹ (bănd)
n.

1. A thin strip of flexible material used to encircle and bind one object or to hold a number of objects together: a metal band around the bale of cotton.
2. A strip or stripe that contrasts with something else in color, texture, or material.
3. A narrow strip of fabric used to trim, finish, or reinforce articles of clothing.
4. Something that constrains or binds morally or legally: the bands of marriage and family.
5. A simple ungrooved ring, especially a wedding ring.
6. 1. A neckband or collar.
   2. bands The two strips hanging from the front of a collar as part of the dress of certain clerics, scholars, and lawyers.
   3. A high collar popular in the 16th and 17th centuries.
7. 1. Biology. A chromatically, structurally, or functionally differentiated strip or stripe in or on an organism.
   2. Anatomy. A cordlike tissue that connects or holds structures together.
8. Physics.
   1. A specific range of wavelengths or frequencies of electromagnetic radiation.
   2. A range of very closely spaced electron energy levels in solids, the distribution and nature of which determine the electrical properties of a material.
9. Any of the distinct grooves on a long-playing phonograph record that contains an individual selection or a separate section of a whole.
10. A cord or strip across the back of a book to which the sheets or quires are attached.

tr.v., band·ed, band·ing, bands.

1. To tie, bind, or encircle with or as if with a band.
2. To mark or identify with or as if with a band: a program to band migrating birds.

[Middle English bende (from Old English bend and and from Old French bande, bende , of Germanic origin) and Middle English bond, band (from Old Norse, band).]

band² (bănd)
n.

1. 1. A group of people: a band of outlaws.
   2. A group of animals.
2. 1. Anthropology. A unit of social organization especially among hunter-gatherers, consisting of a usually small number of families living together cooperatively.
   2. Canadian. An aboriginal group officially recognized as an organized unit by the Canadian government. See Usage Note at First Nation.
3. A group of musicians who perform as an ensemble.

v., band·ed, band·ing, bands.

v.tr.
To assemble or unite in a group.

v.intr.
To form a group; unite: banded together for protection.

[Earlier bande, from Old French, banner, troop identified by its standard, of Germanic origin.]

SYNONYMS   band, company, corps, party, troop, troupe. These nouns denote a group of individuals acting together for a common purpose: a band of thieves; a company of scientists; a corps of drummers; a party of tourists; a troop of students on a field trip; a troupe of actors.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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