# bandy

Pronunciation: US say "BAN-dee" /ˈbændi/; UK

## Adjective

1. Having the legs curved outward at the knees, so the feet meet while the knees stay apart.
   - Simple: Having legs that curve outward so the knees stay apart.
   - _Years in the saddle had left the rancher noticeably bandy._
   - _The puppy's bandy front legs are normal for the breed._

## Verb

2. To pass a word, name, or idea about casually, often without proper care.
   - Simple: To pass words or names around freely and without much care.
   - _Critics bandy the word 'genius' so freely that it has lost its force._
   - _He bandied figures about the meeting as though he understood them._
3. To give and receive in return; to trade something back and forth between two sides.
   - Simple: To exchange things back and forth, each side giving and getting in return.
   - _The diplomats bandy concessions, each granting a little to gain a little._
   - _Old friends bandied stories across the table late into the night._
4. To throw or strike a ball back and forth, as players do in a game.
   - Simple: To hit a ball back and forth between players.
   - _The players bandy the ball between them with short, quick strikes._
   - _On the frozen pond they bandied a small ball with curved sticks._

## Noun

5. A winter team sport played on ice with curved sticks and a ball, from which ice hockey developed.
   - Simple: A team sport played on ice with sticks and a ball, much like ice hockey.
   - _In Sweden, bandy draws large crowds during the coldest months._
   - _She switched from bandy to ice hockey in her teens._
6. A club bent at the lower end, used for striking a ball in play; a hockey stick.
   - Simple: A curved stick used to hit a ball in a game.
   - _The old bandy had a worn, curved blade from years of use._
   - _The players' bandies clashed as they fought for the ball._
7. In India, a wheeled cart or carriage, most often one hauled by bullocks.
   - Simple: A cart used in India, often pulled by oxen.
   - _The merchant hired a bandy to carry his goods to the next town._
   - _Two white bullocks pulled the bandy along the riverbank._

## Verb

8. To fight, either with someone or against someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To fight with or against another person.

## Origin

**Meanings 2–4, 8** — From French bander ("to bandy at tennis"), with the added ending -y or -ie, influenced by Spanish and Portuguese bandear and/or Old Occitan bandir ("to throw"). It shares a root with English "band" and is related to "banter".
**Meaning 1** — From Scots bandy.
**Meanings 5–6** — Probably from the verb bandy in the sense "toss or bat back and forth," or possibly from the Welsh word bando, which most likely came from Proto-Germanic *bandją ("a curved stick").
**Meaning 7** — Borrowed from Telugu బండి (baṇḍi).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bandy (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).