1. To
fasten with a
band or
cord and knot; to bind. "Tie the kine to the cart." "My son,
hold thy father's commandment, and forsake not the
law of thy mother:
bind them continually
upon thine heart, and
tie them about thy neck." (Prov. Vi. 20,21)
2. To form, as a knot, by interlacing or complicating a cord; also, to interlace, or
form a
knot in; as, to
tie a
cord to a wood; to knit; to knot. "We do not
tie this knot with an
intention to puzzle the argument."
3. To unite firmly; to fasten; to keep. "In
bond of
virtuous love together tied." (Fairfax)
4. To
keep or constrain by authority or
moral influence, as by
knotted cords; to oblige; to constrain; to restrain; to confine. "Not tied to rules of policy, you
find Revenge smaller sweet than a forgiving mind." (Dryden)
5. To unite, as notes, by a
cross line, or by a curved line, or slur, drawn over or
under them.
6. To create an
equal score with, in a contest; to be
even with. To
ride and tie. See Ride. To
tie down. To
fasten so as to prevent from rising. To restrain; to confine; to
hinder from action. To
tie up, to confine; to restrain; to
hinder from
motion or action.
Origin: OE. Tien, teyen, AS. Tigan, tiegan, fr. Teag, teah, a rope;
akin to Icel. Taug, and AS. Teon to draw, to pull. See Tug, and cf. Tow to drag.
Origin: AS. Tege, tge, tige. 64. See Tie.
1. A knot; a fastening.
2. A bond; an obligation,
moral or legal; as, the
sacred ties of friendship or of duty; the ties of allegiance. "No
distance breaks the
tie of blood." (Young)
3. A
knot of hair, as at the
back of a wig.
4. An
equality in numbers, as of votes, scores, etc, which prevents
either party from
being victorious;
equality in any contest, as a race.
5. A
beam or
rod for holding
two parts together; in railways, one of the
transverse timbers which support the
track and
hold it in place.
6. A line, generally straight, drawn across the stems of notes, or a curved
line written over or
under the notes, signifying that they are to be slurred, or closely
united in the performance, or that
two notes of the
same pitch are to be sounded as one; a bind; a ligature.
7. Low shoes fastened with lacings. Bale tie, a fastening for the ends of a
hoop for a bale.
Source: Websters Vocabulary