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reed

[ reed ]

/ rid /

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noun

the straight stalk of any of various tall grasses, especially of the genera Phragmites and Arundo, growing in marshy places.

any of the plants themselves.

such stalks or plants collectively.

anything made from such a stalk or from something similar, as an arrow.

Music.

a pastoral or rustic musical pipe made from a reed or from the hollow stalk of some other plant.
a small, flexible piece of cane or metal that, attached to the mouth of any of various wind instruments, is set into vibration by a stream of air and, in turn, sets into vibration the air column enclosed in the tube of the instrument.
reed instrument.

Textiles. the series of parallel strips of wires in a loom that force the weft up to the web and separate the threads of the warp.

an ancient unit of length, equal to 6 cubits. Ezekiel 40:5.

verb (used with object)

to decorate with reed.

to thatch with or as if with reed.

to make vertical grooves on (the edge of a coin, medal, etc.).

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!

Question 1 of 7

Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?

First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.

First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.

First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.

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Idioms for reed

a broken reed, a person or thing too frail or weak to be relied on for support: Under stress he showed himself to be a broken reed.

Origin of reed

First recorded before 900; Middle English reed, red, reod; Old English hrēod, hrēad; cognate with German Ried, Dutch riet

OTHER WORDS FROM reed

reed·like, adjective

Words nearby reed

red worm, ree, reebok, reecho, reechy, reed, reedbird, reedbuck, reed bunting, reed grass, reeding

Definition for reed (2 of 2)

Reed

[ reed ]

/ rid /

noun

Sir Carol, 1906–76, British film director.

Ishmael (Scott), born 1938, U.S. novelist and poet.

John, 1887–1920, U.S. journalist and poet.

Stanley For·man

[fawr-muhn], /ˈfɔr mən/, 1884–1980, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1938–57.

Thomas Brackett, 1839–1902, U.S. politician: Speaker of the House 1889–91, 1895–99.

Walter C., 1851–1902, U.S. army surgeon who proved that a type of mosquito transmits the yellow fever virus.

a male given name, form of Read.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for reed

Prosecutors said that Reed was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday, while Hayes, Dwyer, and Delo remain at large.
Giant cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX hit with criminal and civil money laundering charges|dzanemorris|October 1, 2020|Fortune
In an email, Reed said he was planning to leave the organization at the end of the year anyway.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce abruptly ousts top political consultant Scott Reed, alleging leaks|Tom Hamburger|September 29, 2020|Washington Post
Reed said it doesn’t make sense that Elmcroft of La Mesa – which markets “exceptional memory care” on its website – qualifies as non-medical.
COVID-19 Exposes Lack of Medical Staff in Assisted Living Facilities|Jared Whitlock|September 28, 2020|Voice of San Diego
In the century before Ginsburg won the Reed case, the Supreme Court never met a gender classification that it didn’t like.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Helped Shape The Modern Era Of Women’s Rights – Even Before She Went On The Supreme Court|LGBTQ-Editor|September 21, 2020|No Straight News

Give us a little bit of the Reed story before you became Reed Hastings, Netflix.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics
“We quietly did,” Reed previously told The Daily Beast of removing ISIS.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He gets up and goes over to their table and introduces himself, and he says, ‘Hello, I’m Oliver Reed.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Randy Reed Buick, Nissan, and Chevrolet Missouri-based car dealerships.
The 26 Next Hobby Lobbys|Abby Haglage|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Farah told Deputy Michael Reed that he could not say what clothes his daughters might have had on.
How ISIS’s Colorado Girls Were Caught|Michael Daly|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Both wear head scarves as part of their religion,” Reed later wrote in his report.
How ISIS’s Colorado Girls Were Caught|Michael Daly|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the dens where dragons dwelt before, shall rise up the verdure of the reed and the bulrush.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Each man in the room was smoking a pipe, which consisted of a brass bowl and a reed stem over three feet long.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
The bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
This is especially the case in what are known as the Reed and Haydon properties which extend over about 200 acres.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
To Willis, however, must be attributed greater advance in the utilization of heavy pressures for reed work.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for reed (1 of 2)

reed

/ (riːd) /

noun

any of various widely distributed tall grasses of the genus Phragmites, esp P. communis, that grow in swamps and shallow water and have jointed hollow stalks

the stalk, or stalks collectively, of any of these plants, esp as used for thatching

music

a thin piece of cane or metal inserted into the tubes of certain wind instruments, which sets in vibration the air column inside the tube
a wind instrument or organ pipe that sounds by means of a reed

one of the several vertical parallel wires on a loom that may be moved upwards to separate the warp threads

a small semicircular architectural mouldingSee also reeding

an ancient Hebrew unit of length equal to six cubits

an archaic word for arrow

broken reed a weak, unreliable, or ineffectual person

verb (tr)

to fashion into or supply with reeds or reeding

to thatch using reeds

Word Origin for reed

Old English hreod; related to Old Saxon hriod, Old High German hriot

British Dictionary definitions for reed (2 of 2)

Reed

/ (riːd) /

noun

Sir Carol . 1906–76, English film director. His films include The Third Man (1949), An Outcast of the Islands (1951), and Oliver! (1968), for which he won an Oscar

Lou . born 1942, US rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist: member of the Velvet Underground (1965–70). His albums include Transformer (1972), Berlin (1973), Street Hassle (1978), New York (1989), Set the Twilight Reeling (1996), and The Raven (2003)

Walter . 1851–1902, US physician, who proved that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes (1900)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for reed

Reed

[ rēd ]

Walter 1851-1902

American surgeon who led the commission that proved experimentally that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes.

Scientific definitions for reed

Reed

[ rēd ]

Walter 1851-1902

American physician and army surgeon who proved in 1900 that yellow fever was transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. His research led to the mosquito eradication programs carried out by William Gorgas that virtually eradicated yellow fever from Havana, Cuba, and from the Panama Canal Zone.

Cultural definitions for reed

reed

A thin piece of wood or plastic used in many woodwind instruments. It vibrates when the player holds it in the mouth and blows over it (as with a single reed) or through it (as with a double reed). Clarinets and saxophones use a single reed; bassoons and oboes use a double reed.

Idioms and Phrases with reed

reed

see broken reed.

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