Rend

Rend - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

REND, v.t. pret. and pp. rent. [Eng. cranny, L. 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. Lev 10.

2. To separate or part with violence.

I will surely rend the kingdom from thee. 1 Ki 11.

To rend the heart, in Scripture, to have bitter sorrow for sin. Joel 2.

To rend the heavens, to appear in majesty. Isa 64.

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.