Rending

Rending is the act of tearing something apart with force, or the result of such tearing. As a verb, rend means to tear violently, splitting material, often with force or abruptness. Objects commonly torn include fabric, paper, leather, or flesh. The word is used literally in historical or literary texts and can be employed metaphorically to describe a rupture of relationships, communities, or institutions. In religious or poetic language, rending is used to characterize violent events, such as a garment torn in mourning or the heavens being rent asunder to herald a revelation.

Rend comes from Old English rendan, from Proto-Germanic roots; it is irregular in conjugation. The present tense is rend; he rends. The simple past and past participle are both rent. The present participle is rending. Note that rent also serves as a separate past tense and past participle for the verb "to rend" and should not be confused with "rent" as a noun meaning a tear or a lease.

Rending is relatively formal or literary; in everyday English, "tearing" or "torn" are more common. The term appears in biblical phrases such as "the heavens were rent," and in descriptions of dramatic events or powerful emotions.