bond

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
bond/bɒnd/

▶noun

• 1 a thing used to tie or fasten things together.

  ■ (bonds) physical restraints used to hold someone prisoner.

• 2 a force or feeling that unites people.

• 3 a binding agreement, especially one which commits someone to make a payment to another.

  ■ a certificate issued by a government or a public company promising to repay borrowed money at a fixed rate of interest at a specified time.

  ■ an insurance policy held by a company, which protects against losses resulting from circumstances such as bankruptcy.

  ■ N. Amer. a sum of money paid as bail.

• 4 (also chemical bond) a strong force of attraction holding atoms together in a molecule.

• 5 Building a pattern in which bricks are laid to ensure the strength of a structure.

▶verb

• 1 join or be joined securely to something else.

• 2 establish a relationship based on shared feelings or experiences.

• 3 join or be joined by a chemical bond.

• 4 (usu. as adj. bonding) lay (bricks) in a strong overlapping pattern.

• 5 (usu. as noun bonding) place (dutiable goods) in bond.

– phrases
in bond (of dutiable goods) stored in a bonded warehouse.

– origin ME: var. of band1.