reed

[ reed ]

/ rid /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reed ON THESAURUS.COM

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. Ezek. 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.).

Nearby words

redwood seconds, ree, reebok, reecho, reechy, reed, reed bird, reed bunting, reed canary grass, reed grass, reed instrument

Idioms

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

before 900; Middle English; Old English hrēod; cognate with German, Dutch riet

Related formsreed·like, adjective

Definition for reed (2 of 3)

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-muh n] /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.

Definition for reed (3 of 3)

ree

[ ree, rey ]

/ ri, reɪ /

verb (used with object), reed, ree·ing. British Dialect.

to sift (grain, peas, beans, etc.).

Origin of ree

1350–1400; Middle English < ?

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reed

“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
“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
“There was a sense the response had been inadequate and slow,” Reed says.
Westgate's Chilling Security Video Reveals Shopping Mall Bloodbath|Nina Strochlic|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We help whitewash monasteries, rebuild structures, and teach English and math in classrooms,” Reed says.
Can Traditional Bhutan Survive Tourism?|Esha Chhabra|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Reed moved to Bhutan when Thimphu was a quaint town of 30,000.
Can Traditional Bhutan Survive Tourism?|Esha Chhabra|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Hang it all, there's a blowout," growled Reed, bringing the car to a stop.
The Golden Boys and Their New Electric Cell|L. P. Wyman
But before she could gather way she was thrown down by the wind like a reed.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 1995, Memorial Issue|Various
If Reed could have come up now and seen what it is I want done, he might have begun upon it to-morrow evening.
Johnny Ludlow, Third Series|Mrs. Henry Wood
She was in pearl gray, no powder, no mustache, slim as a reed.
Jane Journeys On|Ruth Comfort Mitchell
The anxiety of Washington in this critical state of the army, may be judged from his correspondence with Reed.
The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving|Washington Irving

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

Word Origin and History for reed

reed

"tall, broad-leafed grass growing in wet places," Old English hreod "reed, rush," from Proto-Germanic *kreut- "reed" (cf. Old Saxon hraid, Old Frisian hriad, Middle Dutch ried, Dutch riet, Old High German hriot, German Ried), with no known cognates beyond Germanic.

Meaning "musical pipe made from a reed stem" is from late 14c. (reed-pipe is from c.1300). As part of the mouthpiece of a musical instrument it is attested from 1520s. Meaning "a reed instrument" is from 1838.

Medicine definitions for reed

Reed

[ rēd ]

Walter 1851-1902

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

Science 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.

Culture 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.

reed