reed

[ reed ]
/ rid /

noun

verb (used with object)

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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM reed

reed·like, adjective

Definition for reed (2 of 3)

Reed
[ reed ]
/ rid /

noun

Definition for reed (3 of 3)

ree 2
[ ree, rey ]
/ ri, reɪ /

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

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

Origin of ree

2
1350–1400; Middle English < ?

Example sentences from the Web for reed

British Dictionary definitions for reed (1 of 2)

reed
/ (riːd) /

noun

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)

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.