King James Bible Dictionary

AMEND', verb transitive [Latin emendo, of e neg, and menda, mendum, a fault. See mend.]

1. To correct; to rectify by expunging a mistake; as, to amend a law.

2. To reform, by quitting bad habits; to make better in a moral sense; as, to amend our ways or our conduct.

3. To correct; to supply a defect; to improve or make better, by some addition of what is wanted, as well as by expunging what is wrong, as to amend a bill before a legislature. Hence it is applied to the correction of authors, by restoring passages which had been omitted, or restoring the true reading.

AMEND', verb intransitive To grow or become better, by reformation, or rectifying something wrong in manners or morals. It differs from improve, in this, that to amend implies something previously wrong; to improve, does not.

AMEND', A pecuniary punishment, or fine. The amende honorable, in France, is an infamous punishment inflicted on traitors, parricides and sacrilegious persons. The offender, being led into court with a rope about his neck, begs pardon of his God, the court, etc. These words denote also a recantation in open court, or in presence of the injured person.

AMEND'ABLE, adjective That may be amended; capable of correction; as, an amendable writ or error.

AMEND'ATORY, adjective That amends; supplying amendment; corrective.

AMEND'ED, participle passive Corrected; rectified; reformed; improved, or altered for the better.

AMEND'ER, noun The person that amends.

AMEND'ING, participle present tense Correcting; reforming; altering for the better.

AMEND'MENT, noun

1. An alteration or change for the better; correction of a fault or faults; reformation of life, by quitting vices.

2. A word, clause or paragraph, added or proposed to be added to a bill before a legislature.

3. In law, the correction of an error in a writ or process.

Shakespeare uses it for the recovery of health, but this sense is unusual.

AMENDS', noun plural

Compensation for an injury; recompense; satisfaction; equivalent; as, the happiness of a future life will more than make amends for the miseries of this.