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, adjectiveWords nearby reed
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 ]
American surgeon who led the commission that proved experimentally that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes.
Scientific definitions for reed
Reed
[ rēd ]
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.