Curves or turns in something, or to curve something out of its straight shape; also refers to a dangerous diving disease called decompression sickness.
From Old English 'bendan,' related to German 'binden' (to bind), originally meaning to curve or bind something. The diving disease meaning appeared in the 1800s when deep-sea diving became common.
The 'bends' diving disease happens because nitrogen bubbles form in your blood when divers come up too fast—it's a medical disaster that teaches us why pressure underwater is so extreme!
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