band¹ / band/ • n. 1. a flat, thin strip or loop of material put around something, typically to hold it together or to decorate it: wads of banknotes fastened with gummed paper bands. ∎  a strip of material forming part of a garment: hatband waistband. ∎  a plain ring for the finger, esp. a gold wedding ring: a narrow band of gold was her only jewelry. ∎ Ornithol. a ring of metal placed around a bird's leg to identify it.2. a stripe or elongated area of a different color, texture, or composition than its surroundings: a long, narrow band of cloud.3. a range of frequencies or wavelengths in a spectrum (esp. of radio frequencies): channels in the UHF band.• v. [tr.] (usu. be banded) 1. surround (an object) with something in the form of a strip or ring, typically for reinforcement or decoration: doors are banded with iron to make them stronger. ∎ Ornithol. put a band on (a bird) for identification.2. mark (something) with a stripe or stripes of a different color: the bird's bill is banded across the middle with black | [as adj.] (banded) banded agate. band² • n. 1. a group of people who have a common interest or purpose: guerrilla bands a determined band of activists. ∎ Anthropol. a subgroup of a tribe.2. a group of musicians who play together, in particular: ∎  a small group of musicians and vocalists who play pop, jazz, or rock music: the band's last two albums a rock band. ∎  a group of musicians who play brass, wind, or percussion instruments: a military band. ∎ inf. an orchestra.3. a herd or flock: moving bands of caribou.• v. [intr.] (of people or organizations) form a group for a mutual purpose: local people banded together to fight the company.

band.
1. Flat raised horizontal strip on a façade, occasionally ornamented, sometimes coinciding with cills or floor-levels, also called a band-course, band-moulding, belt-course, or string-course. The term can therefore be applied to the fasciae on an architrave, and sometimes (though rarely) to a fillet, list, or taenia. In Classical Orders dentils and modillions project from such bands called dentil-or modillion-bands.

2. Plain block interrupting an architectural element, such as a column. In this sense, banded is used to describe the condition. Examples are banded architrave (one with projecting blocks placed at regular intervals between which the architrave is visible, as in a Gibbs surround); banded, blocked, ringed, or rusticated column (with shaft interrupted by plain or rusticated square or cylindrical blocks, although some authorities prefer to use banded to mean a column-shaft made up of alternating larger and smaller drums, and blocked to indicate square blocks alternating with circular shaft-drums); banded pilaster (pilaster-shaft interrupted by rectangular blocks at intervals, corresponding to banded columns); and banded rustication (smooth ashlar alternating with rusticated bands or blocks projecting beyond the naked of the wall).

3. Bond, in Scots, hence inband (header) and outband (stretcher or quoin with long side on face and short on reveals).

band Instrumental ensemble, usually consisting of wind and percussion instruments. A big band performs swing music and has about 16 musicians in four sections: trumpets, trombones, saxophones and a rhythm section. A brass band contains only brass and percussion instruments. A dance band has a rhythm section to provide the strict beat and melody instruments such as saxophone and violin to play the tunes. A jazz band varies according to the style of jazz: a traditional jazz band usually has a clarinet, trumpet, trombone and a rhythm section; a modern jazz quartet may feature saxophone, piano, drums and bass. A military (marching) band contains brass and woodwind instruments with percussion. A rock band has a core of electric guitar, bass guitar and drums to which singers and other instruments may be added.

band1 that which binds. XII. — ON. band = OHG. bant (G., Du. band) :- Gmc. *bandam, f. base *band- of *bindan, BIND; superseded OE. bend BEND1 in the sense ‘fetter’ and repl. mainly by BOND1 in the fig. sense ‘restraint, binding agreement’. Now assoc. with BAND2.

band. A numerous body of instr. players, e.g. brass, dance, military, steel, and perc. bands. Rarely now applied to full sym. orch except affectionately (Hallé Band). Also applied to sections of the orch., e.g. str. band and, particularly, wind band. Thus when Berlioz in his Requiem and Walton in Belshazzar's Feast require extra brass ‘bands’, they mean brass sections, not a full complement à la Black Dyke Mills.