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in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
A bed (furniture)
From Middle English bed , bedde , from Old English bedd , from Proto-West Germanic *badi , from Proto-Germanic *badją ( “ resting-place, plot of ground ” ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
bed (plural beds )
A piece of furniture , usually flat and soft, on which to rest or sleep .
My cat often sleeps on my bed .
I keep a glass of water next to my bed when I sleep.
1762 , Charles Johnstone , The Reverie; or, A Flight to the Paradise of Fools , volume 2, Dublin: Printed by Dillon Chamberlaine, →OCLC , page 202 :At length, one night, when the company by ſome accident broke up much ſooner than ordinary, ſo that the candles were not half burnt out, ſhe was not able to reſiſt the temptation, but reſolved to have them ſome way or other. Accordingly, as ſoon as the hurry was over, and the ſervants, as ſhe thought, all gone to ſleep, ſhe ſtole out of her bed , and went down ſtairs, naked to her ſhift as ſhe was, with a deſign to ſteal them [ …] .
A prepared spot in which to spend the night.
When camping, he usually makes a bed for the night from hay and a blanket.
( usually after a preposition ) One's place of sleep or rest.
Go to bed !
I had breakfast in bed this morning.
( uncountable , usually after a preposition) Sleep; rest; getting to sleep.
He's been afraid of bed since he saw the scary film.
( uncountable , usually after a preposition) The time for going to sleep or resting in bed; bedtime .
I read until bed .
( uncountable ) Time spent in a bed.
1903 , Thomas Stretch Dowse, Lectures on Massage and Electricity in the Treatment of Disease , page 276 :I am quite sure that too much bed , if not too much sleep, is prejudicial, though a certain amount is absolutely necessary.
1907 , Jabez Spencer Balfour , My Prison Life , page 181 :Some prisoners, indeed, are always up before the bell rings — such was my practice — they prefer to grope about in the dark to tossing about in the utter weariness of too much bed .
1972 , James Verney Cable, Principles of Medicine: An Integrated Textbook for Nurses :This condition is one of the dangers of "too much bed ". The nurse should inspect the legs of each patient daily
( figurative ) Marriage .
1702–1704 , Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon , “(please specify |book=I to XVI) ”, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the Theater, published 1707 , →OCLC :George, the eldest son of his second bed .
( figurative , uncountable ) Sexual activity .
Too much bed , not enough rest.
Clipping of bedroom .
2 beds , 1 bath
A place, or flat surface or layer , on which something else rests or is laid .
The meats and cheeses lay on a bed of lettuce.
The bottom of a body of water, such as an ocean , sea , lake , or river .
sea bed
river bed
There's a lot of trash on the bed of the river.
An area where a large number of oysters , mussels , other sessile shellfish , or a large amount of seaweed is found.
Oysters are farmed from their beds .
1941 , Emily Carr , chapter 18, in Klee Wyck :I knew that there were kelp beds and reefs which could rip the bottoms from boats down in Skedans Bay.
A garden plot .
We added a new bush to our rose bed .
1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers , “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set , New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company , →OCLC , page 168 :Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.
A foundation or supporting surface formed of a fluid .
A bed of concrete makes a strong subsurface for an asphalt parking lot.
The superficial earthwork , or ballast , of a railroad .
The platform of a truck, trailer, wagon, railcar, or other vehicle that supports the load to be hauled.
Synonym: tray
Hyponym: truckbed
The parcels were loaded onto the truck bed before transportation.
A shaped piece of timber to hold a cask clear of a ship’s floor ; a pallet .
( printing , dated ) The flat part of the press , on which the form is laid.
( computing ) The flat surface of a scanner on which a document is placed to be scanned.
A piece of music , normally instrumental , over which a radio DJ talks.
( darts ) Any of the sections of a dartboard with a point value, delimited by a wire .
( trampoline ) The taut surface of a trampoline .
2000 , Sports: The Complete Visual Reference :These 5 judges mark the athlete's staying in the center of the bed , uniformity of bounce heights, and general style.
( heading ) A layer or surface .
A deposit of ore , coal , etc.
( geology ) The smallest division of a geologic formation or stratigraphic rock series marked by well-defined divisional planes (bedding planes ) separating it from layers above and below.
Synonyms: layer , stratum
( masonry ) The horizontal surface of a building stone.
the upper and lower beds
( masonry ) The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile.
( masonry ) A course of stone or brick in a wall .
Usage notes
Sense 1. To prepare a bed is usually to "make" the bed , or ( US, Southern ) to "spread" the bed, the verb spread probably having been developed from bedspread .
Like many nouns denoting places where people spend time, bed requires no article after certain prepositions: hence in bed ( “ lying in a bed ” ) , go to bed ( “ get into a bed ” ) , and so on. The forms in a bed , etc. do exist, but tend to imply mere presence in the bed, without it being for the purpose of sleep.
See also Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take
Derived terms
air bed (airbed )alveolar bed angel bed ant-bed apple-pie bed arrester bed bark bed bed and board bed and breakfast / bed-and-breakfast → B&B-ing , B&B deal , B&B transaction bed bath (bed-bath )bed blocker (bedblocker / bed-blocker )bed blocking bedbound bedbox bedbug (bed bug )bedchamber bed check (bed-check )bed-closet bedclothes bedcover (bed cover / bed-cover )bedder bedding bedfast (bed-fast )bedfellow bedframe (bed frame / bed-frame )bedground (bed ground )bed hair bed head → bed-headed bed-hop → bed-hopper bed in , bed-in bedjacket (bed jacket / bed-jacket )bedless bed linen bedload (bed load )bedmate bed-mould , bed moulding bed of down bed of honour bed of justice bed of nails bed of roses bed out bed pad bedpan bedpost bed push bed rest bedridden (bed-ridden )bedroom (bed-room ) → bedsit , bed-sitter / bedsitter , bed-sitting room bed rot bed rotting bed screw bed settee bedsheet (bed sheet )bedside bedspread bedspring bedstead bed surf → bed surfer bed tea (bed-tea )bed trick bed truck bed urinal bed wench bed-wet → bed-wetter (bed wetter ), bed-wetting box-bed , box bed (boxbed )breakfast in bed bring to bed bunk bed cabin bed camp bed canopy bed capillary bed chair bed child bed child-bed coal bed co-bed come to bed / come-to-bed creek bed day bed deathbed conversion (death bed c. / death-bed c. )deathbed (death bed / death-bed )dirt bed divan bed divorce from bed and board dog bed double bed featherbed (feather bed / feather-bed )field bed filter bed flatbed flower-bed flowerbed (flower bed )fluidized bed four-poster bed French bed full bed gatch bed Gatch bed get out of bed on the wrong side get up on the wrong side of the bed (…of bed ) go to bed → go to bed with , …with the chickens , …with the sun green-bed hay bed hide-a-bed hog bed Hollywood bed hospital bed hot bed , hotbed in bed → in bed with interbedded in the bed Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon John-go-to-bed-at-noon kelp bed key bed kick someone out of bed lazy bed , lazy-bed lesbian bed death lie in the bed one has made loft bed make one's bed → …and lie in it make the bed marker bed marriage bed monster under the bed Murphy bed nailbed (nail bed )orthopaedic bed orthopedic bed out of bed oyster bed pebble-bed reactor pencil-post bed pie bed pig bed pissabed , piss-the-bed , pissy bed (pissy-bed )plank bed platform bed (see platform )Polish bed powder-bed Procrustean bed procrustean bed put to bed put to bed with a shovel raised bed red under the bed reed bed riverbed (river bed / river-bed )roller bed sea bed settee bed settle bed share a bed shell bed shit the bed single bed sleigh bed slug-a-bed sofa-bed (sofa bed )spawning bed spring bed straw-bed (straw bed )stream bed sunbed take to one's bed tan bed tanning bed tent bed test bed throw someone out of bed too much bed makes a dull head trackbed (track bed )trestle bed truckle bed trundle bed twin bed vac bed wake up on the wrong side of the bed (…of bed )waterbed (water bed / water-bed )wet the bed you make the bed you lie in
Descendants
→ Chichewa: bedi
→ Chuukese: pet
→ Esperanto: bedo
→ Japanese: ベッド ( beddo )
Translations
Verb
bed (third-person singular simple present beds , present participle bedding , simple past and past participle bedded )
Senses relating to a bed as a place for resting or sleeping.
( intransitive ) To go to bed; to put oneself to sleep .
I usually listen to music before I bed .
( transitive ) To place in a bed.
1622 , Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon ], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, , London: W Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC :For she was not only publicly contracted, but stated as a bride, and solemnly bedded , and after she was laid, there came in Maximilian's ambassador with letters of procuration
( transitive ) To furnish with a bed or bedding.
( transitive , intransitive ) To have sex (with).
Synonyms: coitize , go to bed with , sleep with ; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
1730 , William Forbes, The Institutes of the Law of Scotland , page 121 :And he who lies with another Man's Wife after she is married, even before her Husband had bedded with her, is guilty of Adultery, [ …]
( intransitive , hunting ) Of large game animals: to be at rest .
Senses relating to a bed as a place or layer on which something else rests or is laid.
( transitive ) To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or enclosed; to embed .
1810/1835 , William Wordsworth , Guide to the Lakes
Among all chains or clusters of mountains where large bodies of still water are bedded .
2014 August 17, Jeff Howell, “Home improvements: Repairing and replacing floorboards [print version: Never buy anything from a salesman, 16 August 2014, p. P7]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property) :But I must warn you that chipboard floors are always likely to squeak. The material is still being used in new-builds, but developers now use adhesive to bed and joint it, rather than screws or nails. I suspect the adhesive will eventually embrittle and crack, resulting in the same squeaking problems as before.
( transitive ) To set in a soft matrix , as paving stones in sand , or tiles in cement .
( transitive ) To set out (plants) in a garden bed.
( transitive ) To dress or prepare the surface of (stone) so it can serve as a bed.
( transitive ) To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position.
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare , “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :Your bedded hair like life in excrements
To settle , as machinery.
Derived terms
Translations
References
Further reading
Anagrams
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch bed , from Middle Dutch bedde , from Old Dutch bedde , from Proto-Germanic *badją .
Pronunciation
Noun
bed (plural beddens , diminutive bedjie )
bed
Synonym: kooi
Breton
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Brythonic *bɨd , from Proto-Celtic *bitus . Cognates include Welsh byd and Cornish bys .
Noun
bed m (plural bedoù )
world
universe
Mutation
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References
Ian Press (1986 ) A grammar of modern Breton , Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN , page 322
Danish
Etymology 1
From German Beet ( “ bed for plants ” ) , originally the same word as Bett ( “ bed for sleeping ” ) , from Proto-Germanic *badją , cognate with English bed and Swedish bädd .
Pronunciation
Noun
bed n (singular definite bedet , plural indefinite bede )
bed ( a garden plot )
Inflection
Etymology 2
From Old Norse beit f ( “ pasturage ” ) , Old Norse beita f ( “ bait ” ) , from Proto-Germanic *baitō ( “ food, bait ” ) , cognate with German Beize ( “ mordant ” ) (whence Danish bejdse ).
Pronunciation
Noun
bed (definitive plural bedene )
( obsolete ) pasturage
only in the expression: gå nogen i bedene "poach on someone's preserves"
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
Verb
bed
past of bide
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
Verb
bed
imperative of bede
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch bedde , from Old Dutch bedde , from Proto-Germanic *badją .
Pronunciation
Noun
bed n (plural bedden , diminutive bedje n )
bed ( furniture for sleeping )
Ze kocht een nieuw bed voor haar nieuwe appartement. ― She bought a new bed for her new apartment.
Ik wil vroeg naar bed gaan vanavond. ― I want to go to bed early tonight.
Dit bed is zo comfortabel dat ik er de hele dag in zou kunnen blijven. ― This bed is so comfortable, I could stay in it all day.
( garden, agriculture ) patch , bed
layer , often a substratum
bed of a body of water
1950 , Willy van der Heide, Drie jongens op een onbewoond eiland , Stenvert:Op een gegeven ogenblik stieten ze op een uitgedroogde beekbedding; het bed van de beek was naakte lava. (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Derived terms
Descendants
Kriol
Etymology 1
From English bird .
Noun
bed
bird
Etymology 2
From English bed .
Noun
bed
bed
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English bedd .
Noun
bed
bed
Descendants
Etymology 2
Noun
bed
Alternative form of bede
Northern Kurdish
Pronunciation
Adjective
bed
bad
Norwegian Bokmål
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Danish bed , from German Beet .
Noun
bed n (definite singular bedet , indefinite plural bed , definite plural beda or bedene )
( horticulture ) a bed ( for plants )
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Verb
bed
imperative of bede
References
“bed” in The Bokmål Dictionary .
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology 1
From German Beet .
Noun
bed n (definite singular bedet , indefinite plural bed , definite plural beda )
( horticulture ) a bed ( for plants )
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Verb
bed
present tense of beda
imperative of beda
Etymology 3
From Old Norse beðr .
Noun
bed m (definite singular beden , indefinite plural bedar , definite plural bedane )
( pre-2012 ) alternative form of bedd
References
“bed” in The Nynorsk Dictionary .
Old English
Pronunciation
Noun
bed n
Alternative form of bedd
Old Irish
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
·bed
third-person singular past subjunctive of at·tá
Alternative forms
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
bed
inflection of is :
third-person singular past subjunctive
third-person singular / second-person plural imperative
third-person singular conditional relative
Alternative forms
bad ( 3 sg. past subj.; 3 sg. and 2 pl. imperative )
Mutation
Old Irish mutation
Radical
Lenition
Nasalization
bed
bed pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/
mbed
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
Old Saxon
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *badją ( “ dug sleeping-place ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- ( “ to dig ” ) . Cognate with Old Frisian bed , Old English bedd , Dutch bed , Old High German betti , Old Norse beðr , Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌳𐌹 ( badi ) . The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek βοθυρος ( bothuros , “ pit ” ) , Latin fossa ( “ ditch ” ) , Latvian bedre ( “ hole ” ) , Welsh bedd , Breton bez ( “ grave ” ) .
Noun
bed n
bed
(Can we date this quote?) , Heliand , verse 2309:thena lefna lamon bārun mid is beddiu They were bearing the living lame man with his bed
Declension
Declension of bed (neuter a-stem)
Descendants
Swedish
Verb
bed (contracted be )
imperative of bedja
Volapük
Etymology
Borrowed from English bed and German Bett .
Pronunciation
Noun
bed (nominative plural beds )
bed
Declension
declension of bed
1 status as a case is disputed
2 in later, non-classical Volapük only