wed

English Online Dictionary. What means wed‎? What does wed mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English wedden, weddien, from Old English weddian (“to pledge; wed”), from Proto-West Germanic *waddjōn, from Proto-Germanic *wadjōną (“to pledge”), from *wadją (“pledge”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- (“to pledge”).

Cognate with Scots wed, wod, wad (“to wed”), Saterland Frisian wädje (“to bet, wager”), West Frisian wedzje (“to bet, wager”), Low German and Dutch wedden (“to bet”), German wetten (“to bet”), Danish vædde (“to bet”), Swedish vädja (“to appeal”), Icelandic veðja (“to bet”); more distantly, to Sanskrit वधू (vadhū́, “bride”). Related also to gage, engage, and wage.

Pronunciation

• enPR: wĕdʹ, IPA^(key): /ˈwɛd/
• Rhymes: -ɛd

Verb

wed (third-person singular simple present weds, present participle wedding, simple past and past participle wed or wedded)

1. (transitive) To perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony.
2. (transitive) To take as one's spouse.
3. (intransitive) To take a spouse.
4. (reciprocal) To take each other as a spouse.
5. (figuratively, transitive) To join or commit to, more or less permanently, as if in marriage.
6. (figurative, intransitive) To take to oneself and support; to espouse.
7. (Northern England, Scotland) To wager, stake, bet, place a bet, make a wager.

Synonyms

• marry

Derived terms

Translations

References

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Anagrams

• DEW, Dew, dew

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛt

Etymology 1

Verb

wed

1. inflection of wedden:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. imperative

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch wedde, from a byform of Proto-Germanic *wadą, whence wad. Closely related with Middle High German wete, wettin f (“drinking place, shallow pond”). The Dutch appears to require a neuter *wadją (though feminine use is also attested), the High German a feminine īn-stem *wadį̄.

Noun

wed n (plural wedden, diminutive wedje n)

1. ford, shallow river crossing
2. drinking place for animals

Synonyms

• (ford): voorde

Related terms

• wad
• waden

Scots

Noun

wed (plural weds)

1. Alternative form of wad (“pledge, security”)