Other forms: rendered, rendering, renders
To render something is to make it become something else. A blow renders a boxer unconscious, a power cut renders the lifts useless, bad news renders a room silent. The shape is fixed: render, then the thing, then the state it ends up in.
The second big use is giving. You render assistance to a stranded driver, a plumber bills you for services rendered, a court renders a verdict. Performers render too — a translator renders a poem into English, a singer renders a song. On a computer, render means to turn code and data into the picture you actually see, which is why a video takes an hour to render. In building work it is the coat of sand and cement spread over outside brickwork: you render a wall. Except on a building site, this is a formal word — you render assistance, you do not render your friend a cup of tea.
1verbrenderTo cause someone or something to be in a particular state or condition.
“The injury rendered him unable to work for a year.”
formal in this meaning — an editor’s judgement
synonyms: make
2verbprovideTo give or provide something, especially help, a service or a formal decision.
“The invoice covered eight hours of services rendered.”
formal in this meaning — an editor’s judgement
3verbperformTo perform a piece of music, or to put something into another language or form.
“She rendered the old folk song in a low, steady voice.”
formal in this meaning — an editor’s judgement
4verbturnTo turn data or code into a finished image, page or video on a computer.
“The scene took nine hours to render on the old laptop.”
5verbcoverTo cover an outside wall with a coat of cement or plaster.
“They rendered the front of the house in pale grey.”
6verbmeltTo melt fat down by heating it slowly.
“Render the bacon fat gently, then fry the onions in it.”
7nounplasterA coat of cement or plaster spread over an outside wall.
“The old render had cracked, and damp was getting into the bricks behind it.”
The word comes through Middle English renderen from Old French rendre, "to render, to give back", which traces to Latin reddo, "to give back". Giving back is the oldest part of it. Rendering a verdict, rendering assistance and rendering a bill all still carry that sense of handing something over to whoever is owed it.
Proto-Indo-European
*deh₃-
Latin
rendō
Old French
rendre — render, give back
Middle English
renderen
English, today
render
From Middle English renderen, rendren, from Old French rendre (“render, give back”), from Latin rendō, from Latin reddō (“make, give back”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA