Emily Dickinson Lexicon

REND, v.t. [pret. and pp. rent. Sax. rendan, hrendan; Ir. rannam, rannaim; W. rhanu; Arm. ranna, to divide, and crenna, to abridge, whence Eng. cranny, L. crena. Qu. L. cerno, Gr. κρινω. Class Rn, No. 4, 8, 13, 16.]

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. – Dryden. I rend my tresses, and my breast I wound.vPope. Neither rend your clothes, lest ye die. – Lev. x.
2. To separate or part with violence. I will surely rend the kingdom from thee. – 1 Kings xi. To rend the heart, in Scripture, to have bitter sorrow for sin. – Joel ii. To rend the heavens, to appear in majesty. – Is. lxiv. 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.