Reed
/riːd/noun
A tall, slender grass-like plant growing in wet places, or a thin strip of material used to produce sound in some instruments.
Did you know?In Old English, the word for reed was tied to a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'to cut,' because reeds were associated with cutting or being cut, not just with marshes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reyd-
“to cut, split”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*raudaz
“reed; red”
Old English
English
rēad
“red”
Old English
English
hrēod
“reed; rush”
Middle English
English
rede
“reed”
Modern English
English
reed
“a tall wetland grass or a thin strip used in instruments”