Adjacent Words

Reed definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REED, n.
1. The common name of many aquatic plants; most of them large grasses, with hollow jointed stems, such as the common reed of the genus Arundo, the bamboo, etc. The bur-reed is of the genus Sparganium; the Indian Flowering reed of the genus Canna.
2. A musical pipe; reeds being anciently used for instruments of music.
3. A little tube through which a hautboy, bassoon or clarinet is blown.
4. An arrow, as made of a reed headed.
5. Thatch.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites
2: United States journalist who reported on the October Revolution from Petrograd in 1917; founded the Communist Labor Party in America in 1919; is buried in the Kremlin in Moscow (1887-1920) [syn: Reed, John Reed]
3: United States physician who proved that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes (1851-1902) [syn: Reed, Walter Reed]
4: a vibrator consisting of a thin strip of stiff material that vibrates to produce a tone when air streams over it; "the clarinetist fitted a new reed onto his mouthpiece" [syn: reed, vibrating reed]
5: a musical instrument that sounds by means of a vibrating reed [syn: beating-reed instrument, reed instrument, reed]

Merriam Webster's

I. biographical name John 1887-1920 American journalist, poet, & Communist II. biographical name Stanley Forman 1884-1980 American jurist III. biographical name Thomas Brackett 1839-1902 American politician IV. biographical name Walter 1851-1902 American army surgeon

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English rede, from Old English hr?od; akin to Old High German hriot reed Date: before 12th century 1. a. any of various tall grasses with slender often prominently jointed stems that grow especially in wet areas b. a stem of a reed c. a person or thing too weak to rely on ; one easily swayed or overcome 2. a growth or mass of reeds; specifically reeds for thatching 3. arrow 4. a wind instrument made from the hollow joint of a plant 5. an ancient Hebrew unit of length equal to six cubits 6. a. a thin elastic tongue (as of cane, wood, metal, or plastic) fastened at one end over an air opening in a wind instrument (as a clarinet, organ pipe, or accordion) and set in vibration by an air current b. a woodwind instrument that produces sound by the vibrating of a reed against the mouthpiece <the reeds of an orchestra> 7. a device on a loom resembling a comb and used to space warp yarns evenly 8. reeding 1a • reedlike adjective II. transitive verb Date: 1951 mill 2

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a any of various water or marsh plants with a firm stem, esp. of the genus Phragmites. b a tall straight stalk of this. 2 (collect.) reeds growing in a mass or used as material esp. for thatching. 3 Brit. wheat-straw prepared for thatching. 4 a pipe of reed or straw. 5 a the vibrating part of the mouthpiece of some wind instruments, e.g. the oboe and clarinet, made of reed or other material and producing the sound. b (esp. in pl.) a reed instrument. 6 a weaver's comblike implement for separating the threads of the warp and correctly positioning the weft. 7 (in pl.) a set of semicylindrical adjacent mouldings like reeds laid together. --v.tr. 1 thatch with reed. 2 make (straw) into reed. 3 fit (a musical instrument) with a reed. 4 decorate with a moulding of reeds. Phrases and idioms: reed bunting a small brown bird, Emberiza schoeniclus, frequenting reed-beds. reed-mace a tall reedlike water-plant, Typha latifolia, with straplike leaves and a head of numerous tiny red-brown flowers. reed-organ a harmonium etc. with the sound produced by metal reeds. reed-pipe 1 a wind instrument with sound produced by a reed. 2 an organ-pipe with a reed. reed-stop a reeded organ-stop. reed-warbler any bird of the genus Acrocephalus, esp. A. scirpaceus, frequenting reed-beds. Etymology: OE hreod f. WG 2. n. the fourth stomach of a ruminant; the abomasum. Etymology: OE reada

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reed Reed (r[=e]d), a. Red. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reed Reed, v. & n. Same as Rede. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reed Reed, n. The fourth stomach of a ruminant; rennet. [Prov. Eng. or Scot.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reed Reed, n. [AS. hre['o]d; akin to D. riet, G. riet, ried, OHG. kriot, riot.] 1. (Bot.) A name given to many tall and coarse grasses or grasslike plants, and their slender, often jointed, stems, such as the various kinds of bamboo, and especially the common reed of Europe and North America (Phragmites communis). 2. A musical instrument made of the hollow joint of some plant; a rustic or pastoral pipe. Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed Of Hermes. --Milton. 3. An arrow, as made of a reed. --Prior. 4. Straw prepared for thatching a roof. [Prov. Eng.] 5. (Mus.) (a) A small piece of cane or wood attached to the mouthpiece of certain instruments, and set in vibration by the breath. In the clarinet it is a single fiat reed; in the oboe and bassoon it is double, forming a compressed tube. (b) One of the thin pieces of metal, the vibration of which produce the tones of a melodeon, accordeon, harmonium, or seraphine; also attached to certain sets or registers of pipes in an organ. 6. (Weaving) A frame having parallel flat stripe of metal or reed, between which the warp threads pass, set in the swinging lathe or batten of a loom for beating up the weft; a sley. See Batten. 7. (Mining) A tube containing the train of powder for igniting the charge in blasting. 8. (Arch.) Same as Reeding. Egyptian reed (Bot.), the papyrus. Free reed (Mus.), a reed whose edges do not overlap the wind passage, -- used in the harmonium, concertina, etc. It is distinguished from the beating or striking reed of the organ and clarinet. Meadow reed grass (Bot.), the Glyceria aquatica, a tall grass found in wet places. Reed babbler. See Reedbird. Reed bunting (Zo["o]l.) A European sparrow (Emberiza sch[oe]niclus) which frequents marshy places; -- called also reed sparrow, ring bunting. (b) Reedling. Reed canary grass (Bot.), a tall wild grass (Phalaris arundinacea). Reed grass. (Bot.) (a) The common reed. See Reed, 1. (b) A plant of the genus Sparganium; bur reed. See under Bur. Reed organ (Mus.), an organ in which the wind acts on a set of free reeds, as the harmonium, melodeon, concertina, etc. Reed pipe (Mus.), a pipe of an organ furnished with a reed. Reed sparrow. (Zo["o]l.) See Reed bunting, above. Reed stop (Mus.), a set of pipes in an organ furnished with reeds. Reed warbler. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A small European warbler (Acrocephalus streperus); -- called also reed wren. (b) Any one of several species of Indian and Australian warblers of the genera Acrocephalus, Calamoherpe, and Arundinax. They are excellent singers. Sea-sand reed (Bot.), a kind of coarse grass (Ammophila arundinacea). See Beach grass, under Beach. Wood reed grass (Bot.), a tall, elegant grass (Cinna arundinacea), common in moist woods.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(reeds) 1. Reeds are tall plants that grow in large groups in shallow water or on ground that is always wet and soft. They have strong, hollow stems that can be used for making things such as mats or baskets. N-COUNT: usu pl 2. A reed is a small piece of cane or metal inserted into the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument. The reed vibrates when you blow through it and makes a sound. N-COUNT

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) "Paper reeds" (Isa. 19:7; R.V., "reeds"). Heb. 'aroth, properly green herbage growing in marshy places.

(2.) Heb. kaneh (1 Kings 14:15; Job 40:21; Isa. 19:6), whence the Gr. kanna, a "cane," a generic name for a reed of any kind.

The reed of Egypt and Palestine is the Arundo donax, which grows to the height of 12 feet, its stalk jointed like the bamboo, "with a magnificent panicle of blossom at the top, and so slender and yielding that it will lie perfectly flat under a gust of wind, and immediately resume its upright position." It is used to illustrate weakness (2 Kings 18:21; Ezek. 29:6), also fickleness or instability (Matt. 11:7; comp. Eph. 4:14).

A "bruised reed" (Isa. 42:3; Matt. 12:20) is an emblem of a believer weak in grace. A reed was put into our Lord's hands in derision (Matt. 27:29); and "they took the reed and smote him on the head" (30). The "reed" on which they put the sponge filled with vinegar (Matt. 27:48) was, according to John (19:29), a hyssop stalk, which must have been of some length, or perhaps a bunch of hyssop twigs fastened to a rod with the sponge. (See CANE.)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

red:

(1) achu, translated "reed-grass" (Ge 41:2,18; Job 8:11 margin). See FLAG.

(2) 'ebheh, translated "swift," margin "reed" (Job 9:26). The "ships of reed" are the light skiffs made of plaited reeds used on the Nile; compare "vessels of papyrus" (Isa 18:2).

(3) 'aghammim, translated "reeds," margin "marshes," Hebrew "pools" (Jer 51:32); elsewhere "pools" (Ex 7:19; 8:5; Isa 14:23, etc.). See POOL.

(4) `aroth; achi, translated "meadows," the King James Version "paper reeds" (Isa 19:7). See MEADOW.

(5) qaneh; kalamos (the English "cane" comes from Hebrew via Latin and Greek canna), "stalk" (Ge 41:5,22); "shaft" (Ex 37:17, etc.); "reed," or "reeds" (1Ki 14:15; 2Ki 18:21; Isa 36:6; 42:3; Ps 68:30, the King James Version "spearman"); "calamus" (Ex 30:23; So 4:14; Eze 27:19); "sweet cane," margin "calamus" (Isa 43:24; Jer 6:20); "bone" (Job 31:22); used of the cross-beam of a "balance" (Isa 46:6); "a measuring reed" (Eze 40:3); "a staff of reed," i.e. a walking-stick (Isa 36:6; Eze 29:6); the "branches" of a candlestick (Ex 37:18).

(6) kalamos, "a reed shaken with the wind" (Mt 11:7; Lu 7:24); "a bruised reed" (Mt 12:20); they put "a reed in his right hand" (Mt 27:29,30); "They smote his head with a reed" (Mr 15:19); "put it on a reed" (Mt 27:48; Mr 15:36); "a measuring reed" (Re 11:1; 21:15,16); "a pen" (3 Joh 1:13).

It is clear that qaneh and its Greek equivalent kalamos mean many things. Some refer to different uses to which a reed is put, e.g. a cross-beam of a balance, a walking-stick, a measuring rod, and a pen (see above), but apart from this qaneh is a word used for at least two essentially different things:

(1) an ordinary reed, and

(2) some sweet-smelling substance.

(1) The most common reed in Palestine is the Arundo donax (Natural Order Gramineae), known in Arabic as qacabfarasi, "Persian reed." It grows in immense quantities in the Jordan valley along the river and its tributaries and at the oases near the Dead Sea, notably around `Ain Feshkhah at the northwest corner. It is a lofty reed, often 20 ft. high, of a beautiful fresh green in summer when all else is dead and dry, and of a fine appearance from a distance in the spring months when it is in full bloom and the beautiful silky panicles crown the top of every reed. The "covert of the reed" (Job 40:21) shelters a large amount of animal and bird life. This reed will answer to almost all the requirements of the above references.

(2) Qaneh is in Jer 6:20 qualified qaneh ha-Tobh, "sweet" or "pleasant cane," and in Ex 30:23, qeneh bhosem, "sweet calamus," or, better, a "cane of fragrance." So 4:14; Isa 43:24; Eze 27:19 all apparently refer to the same thing, though in these passages the qaneh is unqualified. It was an ingredient of the holy oil (Ex 30:23); it was imported from a distance (Jer 6:20; Eze 27:19), and it was rare and costly (Isa 43:24). It may have been the "scented calamus" (Axorus calamus) of Pliny (NH, xii.48), or some other aromatic scented reed or flag, or, as some think, some kind of aromatic bark. The sweetness refers to the scent, not the taste.

See also BULRUSH; PAPYRUS.

E. W. G. Masterman

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Pastoral pipe, rustic pipe, musical instrument. 2. Arrow.

Moby Thesaurus

English horn, Pandean pipe, adjutage, aerophone, aftergrass, anthrophore, arrow, arrowhead, aulos, axis, bamboo, barb, basset horn, basset oboe, bassoon, bell, bobtailed arrow, bole, bolt, bombard, cambric tea, cane, carpophore, catheter, caudex, caulicle, caulis, cereal, cereal plant, chested arrow, clarinet, cloth yard shaft, cobweb, contrabassoon, contrafagotto, corn, cromorne, culm, dart, dishwater, double bassoon, double reed, drainpipe, efflux tube, embouchure, farinaceous plant, fife, fipple flute, fire hose, flageolet, flight, flue pipe, flute, fog, footstalk, forage grass, funicule, funiculus, funnel, garden hose, gas pipe, gossamer, grain, graminaceous plant, grass, gruel, hair, haulm, hautboy, heckelphone, horn, hornpipe, hose, hosepipe, house of cards, key, lawn grass, leafstalk, licorice stick, lip, matchwood, milk and water, mouthpiece, musette, nipple, oaten reed, oboe, oboe da caccia, ocarina, organ pipe, ornamental grass, panpipe, pedicel, peduncle, penny-whistle, petiole, petiolule, petiolus, piccolo, pipe, pipeline, pipette, piping, pommer, quarrel, recorder, reed instrument, reed pipe, rope of sand, sand castle, sax, saxophone, seedstalk, shaft, shawm, siamese, siamese connection, single reed, single-reed instrument, siphon, slide, snorkel, soil pipe, sonorophone, spear, spire, stalk, standpipe, steam pipe, stem, stipe, stock, straw, sweet potato, syrinx, tabor pipe, tap, tenoroon, thread, tigella, tin-whistle, tooter, trunk, tube, tubing, tubulation, tubule, tubulet, tubulure, valve, volley, waste pipe, water, water pipe, whistle, wind, wind instrument, woods, woodwind, woodwind choir, woodwind instrument