What is "wends"

Wends \Wends\, n. pl.; sing. Wend. (Ethnol.) A Slavic tribe which once occupied the northern and eastern parts of Germany, of which a small remnant exists.

vb. (en-third-person singular of: wend)

Wends (, Old Norse: Vindr, , , , ) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used.

In the Middle Ages the term "Wends" often referred to Western Slavs living within the Holy Roman Empire, though not always. Mieszko I, the first historical ruler of Poland, also appeared as "Dagome, King of the Wends" (Old Norse: Vindakonungr). The name has possibly survived in Finnic languages (, , Karelian: Veneä) denoting Russia.