To change something in order to improve it, fix mistakes, or make it more fair. It is often used for laws, documents, or statements.
From Old French *amender* (“to improve, make better”), from Latin *emendāre* (“to correct, free from faults”). The *e-* prefix later blended into the word in English, leaving “amend.”
To amend is literally to “un-fault” something—remove its errors. That’s why we amend constitutions and contracts instead of just rewriting them from scratch. The word assumes the core is worth keeping; it’s the details that need healing.
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