FromMiddle Englishmeede,mede, fromOld Englishmēd,meord,meard,meorþ(“meed, reward, pay, price, compensation, bribe”), fromProto-West Germanic*miʀdu, fromProto-Germanic*mizdō(“meed”), fromProto-Indo-European*misdʰéh₂, fromProto-Indo-European*mey-(“to exchange”).
Cognate with obsoleteDutchmiede(“wages”),Low Germanmede(“payment, wages, reward”),GermanMiete(“rent”),Gothic𐌼𐌹𐌶𐌳𐍉(mizdō,“meed, reward, payment, recompense”),Ancient Greekμισθός(misthós,“wage”),Old Church Slavonicмьзда(mĭzda,“reward”),Sanskritमीळ्ह(mīḷhá),Sanskritमीढ(mīḍhá),Avestan𐬨𐬍𐬲𐬛𐬀(mīžda).
meed (pluralmeeds)
- (now literary, archaic) Apayment orrecompense made for services rendered or in recognition of some achievement;reward;award.
1596,Edmund Spenser, “Book IIII, Canto I”, inThe Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] forWilliam Ponsonby,→OCLC, stanza 6,page 6:For well ſhe wiſt,as true it was indeed / That her liues Lord and patrone of her health / Right well deſerued as his duefullmeed, / Her loue,her ſeruice,and her vtmoſt wealth.
1801,Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, inThalaba the Destroyer, volume(please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]orT[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […],→OCLC:Brought up in darkness, and the child of sin,
Yet, as themeed of spotless innocence,
Just Heaven permitted her by one good deed
To work her own redemption, after death.
1829,Andrew Jackson,First Annual Message to Congress:Public gratitude, therefore, stamps her seal upon it, and themeed should not be withheld which may here after operate as a stimulus to our gallant tars.
- 1880, translation byRichard Francis Burton ofOs Lusiadas, Canto IX, stanza 93 byLuís de Camões
- Better to merit and themeed to miss,
than, lacking merit, everymeed possess.
1904,Stanley J. Weyman, “V. The Captain of Vlaye”, inThe Abbess of Vlaye:Nor, save for a circumstance presently to be named, could even the Abbess's sullen curiosity have withheld ameed of admiration as the panorama unfolded itself before her.
1936,Agatha Christie,The A.B.C. Murders:[Poirot continued,] "And here a fullmeed of praise is due to Hastings, who made a simple and obvious remark to which no attention was paid."
1953 October, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, inRailway Magazine, page686:The shed staff deserve theirmeed of praise for the result, but I believe that Driver Willie Bain is largely responsible.
- Agift;bribe.
- (dated)Merit;worth.
c.1591–1592 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act IV, scene viii],page167, column 2:[…]mymeed hath got me fame:[…]
- 1934,Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Commentary onThe Holy Qur'an, note 3687 on 33:16:
- In any case, his life would be in ignominy and would be brief, and he would have lost irretrievably themeed of valour.
FromMiddle Englishmeden, fromOld English*mēdian(“to reward, bribe”), fromProto-West Germanic*miʀdōn, fromProto-Germanic*mizdōną(“to reward”), fromProto-Indo-European*misdʰ-(“to pay”). Cognate withGerman Low Germanmeden(“to hire, lease, rent”),Germanmieten(“to rent”).
meed (third-person singular simple presentmeeds,present participlemeeding,simple past and past participlemeeded)
- (transitive) Toreward;bribe.
- (transitive) Todeserve;merit.
meed
- Alternative spelling ofmed
meed
- singularpastindicative ofmijden
meed
- nominativeplural ofmesi
meed
- Alternative form ofmede(“mead (beverage)”)
meed
- Alternative form ofmede(“meadow”)
meed
- Alternative form ofmede(“reward”)
FromMiddle Low Germanmöde, fromOld Saxonmōthi, fromProto-West Germanic*mōþī.
meed
- tired,weary,fatigued,fagged
- hee wia seameed
- he was verytired
