amends
uh-MENDZ
/əˈmɛndz/
Compensation or reparation for a loss, damage, or injury.
Amends is almost always used in the plural idiom 'make amends'. It refers to concrete actions taken to repair a relationship or fix a mistake.
The story behind the word. Amends comes from the Latin 'emendare', which meant 'to free from faults or blemishes'. The root 'menda' means a physical defect or error. When you make amends, you are metaphorically polishing away the ugly blemishes left by your bad behavior.
Word relationships
- reparation: Reparation is highly formal and often refers to financial compensation paid by a defeated country or a large institution.
- restitution: Restitution is the legal act of returning something to its proper owner.
- injury: Injury is the act of causing harm or damage, which is the opposite of repairing it.
- damage: Damage is harm that reduces value or usefulness.
Commonly confused with
- amend: To amend (verb) is to change a text or behavior; amends (noun) is the compensation offered for a wrong.
Word family
- amend (verb): To make minor changes in a text in order to make it more fair or accurate.
Collocations
- make amends
- seek to make amends
- amends for past behavior
Idioms & expressions
- make amends
Example sentences
- "She tried to make amends by buying him a new book to replace the one she lost." A personal effort to repair a friendship.
- "The corporation sought to make amends for its environmental damage by funding a local park." A broader social effort to correct a historic wrong.
Memory hook
Think of 'mending' a torn piece of clothing. When you make amends, you are mending a torn relationship. Amends = Mending a tear.
When not to use
Do not use as a singular noun ('an amend' is incorrect).
Fun facts
- The word 'emendation' (a correction made to a text) shares the exact same root as amends.
Explore more words
expiation, redress, restitution, damages, compensate, rectify
Also appears in
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