What Does “be on the mend” mean?
Definition:
If you are on the mend, your health is improving after an illness or after a difficult or unsuccessful period.
Origin
The term “mend” comes from Middle English “menden“, meaning “to repair”. Another relater word is “amend“, from Old French “amender“, based on Latin “emendare“, meaning “to make minor changes to something to make it better”.
The phrase may refer to the process of healing from an illness as in he is on the mend after an illness.
To be on the mend may also be used to talk about an improvement after a difficult situation as when describing the economy as being on the mend.
Relationships can be also on the mend after a period of instability. For example, you may refer to a marriage on the mend, in the sense that it is healing after a crisis.
Example(s)
He’s been very ill lately. Thanks to his new doctor, he’s on the mend now.
Jane and Allan’s marriage is on the mend now after suffering from a lack of communication for a long time.
Economists think that the public debt will be soon on the mend after a period of recession.
