A general direction in which something is developing or changing, especially something popular for a time.
From Old English *trendan* “to turn, revolve,” related to German *drehen* “to turn.” Over time it shifted from physical turning to the figurative “direction things are going.”
A trend is basically the way the crowd is “turning.” Social media just speeds this up, so a fashion trend can rise, peak, and die in days instead of decades.
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