Literary notes about bind (AI summary)
The word “bind” assumes a multifaceted role in literature, adeptly shifting between literal and metaphorical meanings. In some contexts, it denotes physical fastening or repair, as when a bleeding wrist is bound to staunch blood [1] or ingredients are mixed with a roux to create a cohesive dish [2, 3, 4]. In other instances, the term conveys the idea of sealing an agreement or oath—be it a legal contract [5, 6, 7], a promise that condemns a soul to inevitable fate [8, 9], or even the subtle forces that connect hearts and souls [10]. Across these varied examples, “bind” functions as a versatile verb that links tangible actions to the more abstract ties of duty, love, and destiny.
- His first care was to bind up his bleeding wrist.
— from The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - IN THE MORTAR PUT PEPPER, LOVAGE, AND CRUSH: MOISTEN WITH BROTH, WINE AND A LITTLE OIL, HEAT; WHEN BOILING, BIND WITH ROUX.
— from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius - UNTIL IT IS DONE, BIND WITH ROUX, ADD GREEN OIL, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.
— from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius - [meanwhile] GRIND PEPPER, LOVAGE, ORIGANY, SEEDS OF RUE WITH WINE, HONEY WINE AND OIL; COOK ALL ON A SLOW FIRE; BIND
— from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius - To bind the defendant by a contract, an instrument under seal was essential.
— from The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes - a deed was necessary even to bind a surety.
— from The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes - For all Lawes that bind, are understood to be Lawes by his authority that has power to repeale them.
— from Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes - In all its tides sweeps not the world away, And shall a promise bind my being?
— from Faust [part 1]. Translated Into English in the Original Metres by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - Their hate bound them together as love could never bind.
— from The Faith of Men by Jack London - My sister and I, you will recollect, were twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied.
— from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
