The Meaning Of The Word Trend

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What does one think of, when they think of the word Trend? Do they think back to the time YOLO was a prevailing phrase? What about when bell bottom jeans were the hottest thing to wear, where as now high waisted jeans are the hottest thing. Those are examples of things that we equate to the modern definition of the word trend. Trend in of itself is a word that throughout history has shaped and currently plays a big role in shaping the current landscape of language.
The word Trend has a history that dates all the way back to the 1000’s and is derived from language of Old English with germanic routes. During this time, the modern spelling of the word “ Trend” hadn’t even been developed yet. During this time, the word was Trendan or Trenden;
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“Trend” went from meaning “to turn or roll” too meaning “ to run or bend in a certain direction”. This time, “Trend” was used more as a more geological or environmental term, describing things like rivers,coasts, mountain ranges etc etc, ( Online Etymology Dictionary) This use of the word “Trend” continued on for upwards of two hundred years or so. It wasn’t until 1863 that the meaning of “Trend” that we know today was first recorded. In this record, they used the word “Trend” to mean, “Sense of having a general tendency” This tendency can be of any topic. From fashion all the way to sports all the way to technology
The change of meaning with the word “trend” is nothing new. When looking back in history, we can see plenty of word whose present meanings are completely different from their meanings in older times. This concept is word changing meanings can be taken from the article The internet of words. In this article, Professor Strpihas gives us the example of going out to a restaurant “Upon ordering dinner at a restaurant, the waiter, who introduced himself as a "server," stated that he’d "get those ‘apps right out."
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In the setting of the restaurant, the server was referencing appetizers, which is small food that comes out before your meal. Now, in the technological sense, app is referencing applications, which is typically a small, specialized program downloaded onto mobile devices. (Dictionary)
After looking at these examples of words having their meaning changed throughout history, we can now look at the word “Trend” and analyze its trend from first being a word for a sense of direction to now being a word to describe a “Sense of having a general tendency” In the Mannheim reading, Mannheim talks about how “every meaning is to be understood in the light of its genesis and in the original context of life experience which forms its background”( Mannheim).
We can use this quote to show how the word “Trend” turned from a word of direction to a word of describing general tendency or habit. Before we can look at how the word “trend” adopted the meaning it has today; we have to refer back to its original meaning. As mentioned above, the word “Trend” started off in old english with the meaning “to travel around”, “to travel in a certain

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