reed
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reed¹
- /ɹiːd/
Sounds like read, Reid, Reade, Read · Rhymes with -iːd
Where it comes from
From Middle English red, from Old English hrēod, from Proto-West Germanic *hreud (“reed”), of uncertain origin.
Cognates
Cognate with North Frisian raid (“reed”), Saterland Frisian Räit (“reed”), West Frisian reid (“reed”), Dutch riet (“reed”), German Reet, Ried (“reed”). No cognates in North Germanic languages, but the existence of an otherwise unattested Gothic *𐌷𐍂𐌹𐌿𐌳 (*hriud) was supposed by the brothers Grimm. They also theorised that the word may have a relation to the retas mentioned in Noctes Atticae (Aulus Gellius). The measuring reed sense is the translation of Akkadian qanûm ("cane") used in the Bible and elsewhere.
noun reeds · reede
- Any of various types of tall stiff perennial grass-like plants growing together in groups near water.
- The hollow stem of these plants.
- Part of an aerophone musical instrument, comprising a thin piece of wood or metal, which vibrates to produce sound when air passes through it.
- Short for reed instrument
- A comb-like part of a beater for beating the weft when weaving. Coordinate term: sley
- A piece of whalebone or similar for stiffening the skirt or waist of a woman's dress.
- Reeding.
- A tube containing the train of powder for igniting the charge in blasting.
- Straw prepared for thatching a roof.
- A missile weapon.
- A measuring rod.
- A Babylonian unit of measure the length of a reed, equal to half a nindan, or six cubits.
reed²
- /ɹiːd/
Sounds like read, Reid, Reade, Read · Rhymes with -iːd
Where it comes from
From Middle English reden, from the noun (see above).
verb reeds · reeding · reeded
- To thatch.
- To mill or mint with reeding.
reed³
- /ɹiːd/
Sounds like read, Reid, Reade, Read · Rhymes with -iːd
Where it comes from
See ree.
verb
- simple past and past participle of ree
reed⁴
- /ɹiːd/
Sounds like read, Reid, Reade, Read · Rhymes with -iːd
Where it comes from
From Middle English rede (“abomasum”), from Old English rēada, from Proto-West Germanic *raudō.
noun reeds · read
- The fourth stomach of a ruminant; rennet.
Reed⁵
- /ɹiːd/
Where it comes from
* As an English and Scottish surname, from the adjective red.
* Also as an English surname, from Old English rēodan (“to clear out”), from Proto-West Germanic *reudan.
* Also as an English surname, from several places in England, such as Reed, Lancashire (from Old English ra (“roe deer”) or Rede, Suffolk (see Rede).
Compare Rider, Reader.
proper noun Reeds
- A surname from Old English, a spelling variant of Reid.
- A unisex given name transferred from the surname.
- A village and civil parish in North Hertfordshire district, Hertfordshire, England (OS grid ref TL3636).
- A town in Desha County, Arkansas.
- An unincorporated community in Henderson County, Kentucky.
- A township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
- An unincorporated community in Freeman, Crawford County, Wisconsin.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: beating-reed instrument, walter reed, grass, cattail, red, plate, fyn, canary, sheet, layer, raid, redd, read, woodwind, oboe, roseau
Translations
Every language
noun material
| Français | roseau |
|---|
noun grass-like plant
| Español | junco, carrizo, caña |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 갈대 galdae |
| 日本語 | 葦 yoshi, 蘆 ashi |
| 中文 | 蘆葦 /芦苇 lúwěi |
| Português | junco, cana |
| Français | roseau |
| Deutsch | Schilf, Ried, Rohr |
| Italiano | canna, canniccio, giunco |
| Ελληνικά | καλάμι kalámi, καλαμιά kalamiá |
| Română | stuf, trestie |
| Русский | тростни́к trostník, камы́ш kamýš |
| Tiếng Việt | sậy |
| العربية | قَصَبَة qaṣaba, بُوصَة būṣa |
| עברית | קָנֶה qané |
noun hollow stem
| Español | junco |
|---|---|
| Português | cana, colmo |
| Français | canne, jonc |
| Deutsch | Schilfrohr |
| Italiano | canna |
| Ελληνικά | καλάμι kalámi |
| Русский | тростни́к trostník |
noun music: part of mouthpiece
| Español | caña |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | リード |
| 中文 | 簧片 huángpiàn |
| Português | palheta |
| Français | anche |
| Deutsch | Rohrblatt, Blatt, Blättchen |
| Italiano | ancia |
| Ελληνικά | γλωττίδα glottída, καλάμι kalámi |
| Русский | язычо́к jazyčók |
noun music: type of wind instrument
| Français | instrument à anche |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Rohrblattinstrument |
| Italiano | strumento ad ancia |
Talk about this word "reed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/reed. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. reed. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/reed "reed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/reed.Cite this
@misc{reed_2026,
title = {reed},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/reed},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
