said

¹ American  

[sed] / sɛd /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of say.

---

adjective

1. Chiefly Law. named or mentioned before; aforesaid; aforementioned.

   said witness;

   said sum.

said ² American  

[sah-id] / ˈsɑ ɪd /

noun

Islam.

1. sayyid.

---

said ¹ British  

/ sɛd /

adjective

1. (prenominal) (in contracts, pleadings, etc) named or mentioned previously; aforesaid

---

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of say 1

said ² British  

/ ˈsɑːɪd /

noun

1. a variant of sayyid

---

said Idioms  

1. see easier said than done; enough said; no sooner said than done; when all's said and done; you said it. Also see under say.

---

Etymology

Origin of said

First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective

Explanation

The word said is the past tense of the verb "say," but it can also be used as an adjective to refer to something that has been previously introduced. Although said is most commonly used as the past tense of the verb say, its use as an adjective comes mainly in legal and business writing. In that vein, the word offers a reference to something that was mentioned earlier. The judge may tell you that if you can't provide said evidence, your case will be dismissed. That evidence was mentioned before. If you don't know what the said example is, you must not have been paying attention.

Example Sentences

During the interview, the officer playfully tapped Usaid on the knee and the top of his head, and urged him to eat baklava.

From New York Times • Dec. 26, 2014

Usaid said he still planned to become a doctor, and hoped to study in Turkey.

From New York Times • Dec. 26, 2014

His efforts recently got a major lift from the White House, which issued a new development policy that pledges to restore Usaid as the premier American aid agency.

From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2010

Interviews with several Usaid employees suggest that Dr. Shah has begun to re-energize the agency in the last 10 months.

From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2010

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who has pushed for a bigger civilian role in war zones, lamented recently that Usaid had become a glorified contracting agency.

From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2010