Other forms: trends
A trend is a new direction in style or behaviour that many people suddenly follow. A fashion trend, set a trend, follow the trend.
In statistics a trend is the general direction of a set of figures over time, as against short-term noise: an upward trend, the underlying trend. On social media, trending means being talked about heavily right now, and a trend is a topic doing so. Note trendy, which is faintly dismissive in British English; buck the trend, meaning to go the other way; and trendsetter.
1nountrendA new direction in style that many people follow.
“The trend lasted about eighteen months.”
2noungeneralThe general direction of figures over time.
“The underlying trend has been downward since 2009.”
trend is a direction of movement.
Old English trendan meant to roll or revolve — the same root as trundle. The sense of a general direction came from the way a river or a coastline trends one way, which is still used in geography.
Old English
trendan — to roll about, turn, revolve
Middle English
trenden — to roll about, turn, revolve
English, today
trend
From Middle English trenden (“to roll about, turn, revolve”), from Old English trendan (“to roll about, turn, revolve”). From Middle English trenden (“to roll about, turn, revolve”), from Old English trendan (“to roll about, turn, revolve”), from Proto-West Germanic trandijan (“to turn, roll, revolve”), apparently derived from a strong verb Proto-West Germanic trindan. Cognate with Dutch trent (“circumference”). Akin to Old English trinde (“ball”), Old English tryndel (“circle, ring”). More at trindle, trundle.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA