meedn.

Brit.

/miːd/, U.S.

/mid/

Forms: Old English–Middle English med, late Old English–1800s mede, early Middle English mæde, early Middle English meda, Middle English medee, Middle English meid, Middle English meide, Middle English meode, Middle English miede, Middle English myde, Middle English–1600s meede, Middle English– meed, 1600s meade, 1900s– mead (irregular); Scottish pre-1700 med, pre-1700 mede, pre-1700 meide, pre-1700 meyd, pre-1700 1700s meid, pre-1700 1700s– meed, 1700s mead.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian mēde , mīde rent, gift, Middle Dutch mēde , miede wages, rent, interest (Dutch miede wages, payment (obsolete), message (now only regional)), Old Saxon mēda , mieda , meoda wages, payment (Middle Low German mēde , miede wages, payment), Old High German miata , mieta , miota wages, bribery (Middle High German miete wages, bribery, German Miete rent) < a West Germanic variant (with loss of -z- and compensatory lengthening) of the Germanic base of Old English meord reward, pay, Gothic mizdō wages, reward < the Indo-European base of Sanskrit mīḍha prize, contest, Avestan mīžda reward, ancient Greek μισθός hire, reward, Old Church Slavonic mĭzda wages, Russian mzda (archaic) recompense, payment, (ironic) bribe; probably related to an Indo-European base meaning ‘change’, ‘exchange’ (see man adj.).

a. In early use: something given in return for labour or service; wages, hire; recompense, reward, deserts; a gift. Later: a reward or prize given for excellence or achievement; a person's deserved share of (praise, honour, etc.). Now literary and archaic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > reward or a reward > [noun] > a reward

edlenc888

meedeOE

meedseOE

leanOE

gratitude1535

requital1545

requite1862

bounty1868

the mind > possession > giving > gift or present > [noun]

givec888

lakeOE

presentc1230

giftc1275

garrison1297

benefit1377

beneficec1380

givinga1382

handsela1393

donativec1430

oblation1433

propine1448

presentationc1460

don1524

sportule1538

premie?1548

first penny1557

donation1577

exhibition1579

donary1582

fairing1584

merced1589

gifture1592

meed1613

recado1615

regalo1622

regale1649

dation1656

compliment1702

dashee1705

dash1788

cadeau1808

bestowment1837

potlatch1844

prez.1919

Harry Freeman's1925

pressie1933

eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) ii. ix. 128 Þa ondswarede & cwæð, þæt he ealle ða god, þe he meahte, for mede þislicre fremsumnesse syllan wolde.

OE Beowulf 2134 He me mede gehet.

OE Blickling Homilies 45 Þonne onfoþ hi from Gode maran mede þonne hi from ænigum oþrum lacum don.

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxix. 259 Swa he feorran godes hus gesecð, swa his med mare bið.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8806 What scal beon mi mede ȝif ic þider ride.

a1300 Passion our Lord 61 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 39 (MED) Vor alle þe gode þat he heom dude, hi yolde him luþre mede.

c1330 Otuel (Auch.) (1882) 858 Such cas may fallen, in sum neede He mai quiten vs oure mede.

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 5355 No tong miȝt telle þe twentiþe parte Of þe mede to menstrales þat mene time was ȝeue.

c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) 2392 Þov schalt haue an hundred pound of golde for þy mede.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) i. xv. 83 Forto serue God and deserue meede in hevene.

1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. lvii^v He that lendyth to haue rewarde or mede..may of hell payne haue drede.

1570 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xx. 105 That man in deid is worth sum meid, His fault that dois confes.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. ii. sig. B8 A Rosy girlond was the victors meede.

1613 T. Heywood Siluer Age i. sig. B3 As thy guilt's meede, by that monster die.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) i. i. 280 No meede but he repayes Seuen-fold aboue it selfe.

1638 J. Milton Lycidas in Obsequies 20 in Justa Edouardo King He must not flote upon his watry biere..Without the meed of some melodious tear.

a1677 I. Barrow Wks. (1683) II. 207 A long and prosperous enjoyment of the Land of Canaan was the meed set before them.

1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey III. xiv. 177 If so, a cloak and vesture be my meed; 'Till his return, no title shall I plead.

1772 W. Jones Poems 23 Let falling kings beneath my jav'lin bleed, And bind my temples with a victor's meed.

1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles iii. iv. 86 A lordly meed To him that will avenge the deed!

1854 S. T. Dobell Balder xxiii. 125 Rich loves that as they list Exchange and take and give Unmeted mede and debts for ever due.

1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche ii. vi. 16 To be praised for beauty and denied The meed of beauty.

1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 1 Nov. 21/3 An accommodation-house that has never received its due meed of notoriety.

a1966 ‘M. na Gopaleen’ Best of Myles (1968) 183 Allowing it some small mead of admiration.

1986 Amer. Hist. Rev. 91 (Suppl.) 7 Herodotus set out to award a due meed of glory both to Hellenes and to the barbarians.

†b. In plural. Obsolete.In many of these quots. the plural may be taken collectively, although in some (esp. quots. 1613 and 1616) it is unclear what is intended.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > reward or a reward > [noun] > a reward

edlenc888

meedeOE

meedseOE

leanOE

gratitude1535

requital1545

requite1862

bounty1868

eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. iii. 266 Ic þe soðlice secgo, þætte þæt wæron engla gastas þe þær cwomon, þa me to þam heofonlecan medum cegdon & laðodon.

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (1973) 38 Summe þurh muchele ȝeouen & misliche meden.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 2987 God scal beon þi meda for þira gretinge.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) Gen. xxxi. 8 The dyuers colourid shulen be thi medis.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 2353 Lang he led him with delay To mare þe medes of his fai.

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 2428 Ȝit rad for all þaire rebelte resayued þai þaire medis.

a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 144 Sum gevis for mereit and for meidis.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. ii. sig. O4^v She..Winnes an Oliue girlond for her meeds.

1613 T. Heywood Siluer Age iii. sig. F4 Theseus, Perithous, Philoctetes, take Your valours meeds.

1616 B. Jonson Poëtaster (rev. ed.) iii. v, in Wks. I. 309 Then dare to sing vnconquer'd Caesars deeds; Who cheeres such actions, with aboundant meeds.

c. to meed (in Old and Middle English also †to medes): as a reward. Also †to a person's meed. Now archaic. [In Old English, alongside the regular to mēde , is found to mēdes , with an irregular genitive singular formed on the analogy of neuter nouns used in similar adverbial phrases, such as to leanes (see lean n.¹). In Middle English the form medes in this phrase was perhaps apprehended as a plural.]

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > reward or a reward > as reward or in recompense [phrase]

to meedOE

to meeding?a1300

in revenge for (also of)1553

for one's painsa1563

OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 270 God him sylð tomedes þæt ece lif.

OE Ælfric Homily (Corpus Cambr. 188) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 45 Þæt hi ealle habbon heofonan rice him gemænelice, him sylfum to mede.

a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 67 Ure louerd..giueð hem to medes eche lif and blisse.

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 155 Þet we moten..habbe to mede endelese blisse.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 3150 Wat woste..þulke mon to is mede ȝiue uawe, þat þe king aurely broȝte sone of lifdawe?

a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (1987) ii. 1201 My-self to medes wole þe lettre sowe.

a1425 Celestine 75 in Anglia (1878) 1 69 (MED) To meodes I wile bicom þi man at þi somoun.

a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 599 To medys þou ȝeue me howse and londe.

a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 26 Thou was alway..to me trew as stele..frendship shal thou fele To mede.

1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. IV 186 Those who pleasure had to meed Upon a day when all were glad.

1883 R. W. Dixon Mano i. xiv. 45 They both of worth deserved love's bliss to mede, And yet of him had only dule alone.

†d. for any meed: for any purpose, from any motive. for no (kin) meed: on no account, not at all; under no circumstances. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > small of quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > not at all

never-a-dealc1250

no dealc1250

not a dealc1250

no grue13..

not a (one) grue13..

for no (kin) meedc1330

in (also by and without preposition) no mannerc1330

nothing like?a1425

by no (manner of) means (also mean)c1440

at no handa1500

never, not (etc.) a whit (awhit, a-whit)1523

not a quincha1566

by leisure1590

c1330 Sir Degare (Auch.) 614 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 306 Lo, what chaunse and wonder strong Bitideȝ mani a man wiȝ wrong, Þat..spouseȝ wif for ani mede.

a1350 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 13 (MED) Þou hast lore þin cardinals..ne keuerest þou hem neuere for nones kunnes mede.

a1450 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Caius) (1810) 5404 Off Kyng Richard myght they nought spede, To take trewes for no mede.

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 3120 (MED) Me wondirs..if he it wete wald For any mede a-pon mold his meneyhe to lyuire.

c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) 6248 (MED) Age taryeth for no mede.

c1450 (?a1400) T. Chestre Sir Launfal (1930) 363 I warne the Þat þou make no bost of me, For no kennes mede.

a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 135 in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 303 Ne spit not lorely, for no kyn mede.

1533 J. Heywood Play of Wether sig. Aii Yt is in dede Beyond the compas of all comparyson who coulde presume to shew for any mede.

†e. to do meed: to reward or punish; (perhaps also) to do one's duty. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > reward or a reward > reward or recompense [verb (transitive)]

foryield971

yield971

crownc1175

shipec1275

payc1330

to do meeda1350

rewardc1350

guerdonc1374

reguerdona1393

to do (one) whyc1400

quitc1400

recompense1422

salary1477

merit1484

requite1530

requit1532

reacquite1534

to pay home1542

remunerate1542

regratify1545

renumerate?1549

gratify?c1550

acquit1573

consider1585

regratiate1590

guerdonize1594

munerate1595

regratulate1626

reprise1677

sugar-plum1788

ameed1807

recompensate1841

a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 71 (MED) Suete Iesu..þou do vs heuene mede.

c1450 (?a1400) Sege Melayne (1880) 1017 (MED) Sen ilke a man feghtis for his saule, I sall for myn do mede.

a1500 in R. L. Greene Early Eng. Carols (1935) 272 (MED) Of hys penans God do hym med!

a. Reward dishonestly offered or accepted; corrupt gain; bribery. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > illegal payment or exaction > [noun] > bribe > bribery

meedc1275

corruptionc1425

bribing?c1524

suborning?1532

bribery1560

budding1640

subornation1670

palmistry1828

palm-greasing1832

boodling1886

a greasing of palms1889

sugaring1891

fix1929

pay-off1930

schmear1950

long leg1967

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 7712 Whærd [read whær] is þe ilke mon þat me ne mai mid mede ouer-gan.

c1330 in T. Wright Polit. Songs Eng. (1839) 326 (MED) He wole take mede of that on and that other And late the parsoun have a wyf.

c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 594 Thow shalt nat swere for enuye ne for fauour ne for mede.

c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. iii. 241 Þat laborers and louh folk taken of heore Maystres, Nis no Maner Meede bote Mesurable huyre.

?1423 Rolls of Parl. V. 407/1 For affection, love, mede, doubte or drede.

?c1430 (c1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 247 False curatis þat ȝeuen mede or hire to comen in-to siche worldly offices.

a1450 ( Libel Eng. Policy (Laud) in T. Wright Polit. Poems & Songs (1861) II. 184 That they take mede wythe pryvé violence, Carpettis, and thynges of price and pleysaunce.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xviii. 25 He toke mede and money of the Scottis.

1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Aviii It is a packe of people that seke after meede.

1591 J. Florio Second Frutes 93 Golden meedes doo reach al heights.

1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia i. i. 18 For any respect of Favour, Meade, Dreade, Displeasure, or corruption.

1765 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. I. 230 Without partiality through affection, love, meed, doubt, or dread.

1808 W. Scott Marmion ii. xxii. 101 Her comrade was a sordid soul, Such as does murther for a meed.

a1835 J. Hogg Wks. Ettrick Shepherd (1876) 88 Then 'gan to tell a crazy tale, She told it for a meed.

1906 C. M. Doughty Dawn in Brit. V. xix. 132 But found, no Briton, in these wars, Is, that betray, for torment, or for meed, Would Caradoc's lurking place.

†b. Personified. Obsolete.In Piers Plowman (quot. c1400), the character of Lady Meed represents both reward in general and bribery in particular; this is discussed in detail in a later passage ( iii. 224–82 in the A text, iii. 230–56 in the B text, and iv. 292–342 in the C text).

ΚΠ

c1400 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. ii. 16 (MED) Þis womman..is mede þe maide.

c1430 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls 228 Foolhardynesse, Flaterye, and Desyr, Messagerye, and Meede, and other thre.

†3. Merit, excellence, worth. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > merit > [noun]

earningOE

meritc1230

meeda1387

ablenessa1425

meedfulness1530

meriting1549

desert1563

deservednessa1628

deservingness1631

meritoriousness1639

premiability1675

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 149 A man of grete meryt and mede.

c1390 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 494 Þat is the Meedes of þe Masse.

1493 Festivall (1515) (de Worde) f. 47^v Fayth hath no mede ne meryte Where mannes wytte gyueth experyence.

a1500 (c1380) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 476 (MED) Siþ it is greet meede to do almes for a tyme, it were myche more meede to contynue perpetual almes.

1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. lv^v It is mede, To gyue it to suche as haue necessyte.

1565 J. Jewel Replie Hardinges Answeare vii. 375 They saye, It is a mater of special meede: and hable to Confounde Heresies.

a1600 Floddan Field (1664) i. 2 Thou imp of Mars thy worthy meeds, Who can discourse with due honour.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) iv. x. 6 My meed hath got me fame.

1714 J. Gay Shepherd's Week iii. 17 Thou bard of wond'rous meed. [Note] Meed, an old word for Fame or Renown.

1791 J. Learmont Poems Pastoral 15 How can I houk a graff for her, Ane o' sic comely mead?

†4. Scottish. Aid, assistance, help, support. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > [noun]

fultumeOE

help971

succour?c1225

abetc1330

succouringc1330

speedc1340

subsidya1387

rescousc1390

chevisancea1400

juvamentc1400

supply1420

aid1430

favour1434

supplying1436

suffrage1445

availa1450

boteningc1450

succurrancec1450

adjuvancea1460

assistance1495

meeda1500

subventiona1500

suppliancea1500

adjutory?a1513

sistancea1513

adminiculation1531

abetment1533

assisting1553

adjument1576

society1586

aidance1593

opitulation1598

secourse1598

second1605

suppeditation1605

assistency1642

auxiliation1657

adjutancy1665

adjuvancy1677

abettal1834

sustenance1839

constructiveness1882

a1500 Ratis Raving 398 With It þow may thin erand speid Qwhen baith will failȝhe strenth and meid.

1568 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS f.21^v Haif ws in mynd and grant ws meid.

1607 in Lett. Eccl. Affairs Scotl. (1851) I. 114 This kirk..sall nevir miss meid nor comfort from yow.

1669 Hist. Sir Eger 67 Speed thee with all thy meed, To comfort them and make them glad.

5. literary. A deserved accolade, title, or epithet. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1829 S. Shaw Hist. Staffs. Potteries p. vi In the Mercantile World generally, the meed of admiration and excellence has been assigned to some Potters.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Œnone (rev. ed.) in Poems (new ed.) I. 122 Pallas and Aphrodite, claiming each This meed of fairest.

1856 C. M. Yonge Cameos xxxvi, in Monthly Packet May 329 Even the world itself could hardly award the meed of unprofitable to the studies of Roger Bacon.

1873 A. Anderson Song of Labour 4 ‘Yet you claim the meed of poet?’ and I answer firm and strong, Count me only as a poet, Brothers, while I sing this song.

1892 J. D. Canning Connecticut River Reeds 131 In what blest realms do they now wear The meed of soldiers true, Promoted from the strife to share The peace I cannot view?

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

† meedv.

Forms: Old English medgian (perhaps transmission error), Old English median, early Middle English mead, Middle English med, Middle English medi, Middle English medy, Middle English myde, Middle English–1500s mede, Middle English–1600s meede, Middle English–1600s (1800s archaic) meed.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch mēden , mieden to pay, hire, bribe, Old Saxon mēdian , mēdon to pay (Middle Low German mēden , mieden to rent, hire, German regional (Low German) meden ), Old High German mieten , mietōn to reward, rent, hire (Middle High German mieten to reward, rent, hire, bribe, German mieten to rent, hire) < the West Germanic base of meed n.

Obsolete.

1. transitive. To reward, recompense. In negative sense: to bribe.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > illegal payment or exaction > [verb (transitive)] > bribe

meedOE

underorna1325

corrump1387

forbuy1393

hirec1400

wage1461

fee1487

under-arearc1503

bribe1528

grease1528

money1528

corrupt1548

budc1565

to feed with money1567

to put out a person's eyes with (a gift, bribe, etc.)1580

sweeten1594

to grease the fist or (one) in the fist1598

over-bribe1619

to buy off1629

palter1641

to take off1646

buy1652

overmoneya1661

bub1684

to speak to ——1687

to tickle in the palm1694

daub1699

overbuy1710

touch1752

palm1767

to get at ——1780

fix1790

subsidize1793

sop1837

to buy over1848

backsheesh1850

nobble1856

square1859

hippodrome1866

see1867

boodleize1883

boodle1886

to get to ——1901

reach1906

straighten1923

lubricate1928

to keep (someone) sweet1939

sling1939

to pay off1942

bung1950

OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iii. xxxi. 237 Þone Erminigeldum his fæder ongan læran & mid medum median & mid beotum bregan, to þon þæt he gecyrde to ðam arrianiscan gedwolan.

a1225 (?OE) MS Vesp. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 243 (MED) We scule bien..imeaded mid heahere mede.

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (1973) 414 (MED) He bihet to medin ham mid swiðe heh mede.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 146 (MED) Alle he..ssel deme communliche and alle medi largeliche.

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 4646 (MED) He..meded hem so moche..þat þei him bi-hiȝt..Þat þei priueli wold enpoysoun þe king.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 421 (MED) Alisaundre medede [L. subornabat] þe bisshoppes and warned hem what answere he wolde have.

?c1425 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Royal 17 D.vi) (1860) 17 (MED) Stelthe is meeded with a chokelewe [v.r. chekelew] bane.

c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 195 (MED) Judas..proferede to take hym to hem..so that they wolde mede hym.

1496 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (de Worde) ix. xiv. 367/2 They shal be thanked & be meded therfore as I sayd fyrste.

a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 107 (MED) It fallys þat þou mede his werkys aftyr his seruyce þat he doos to þe.

1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. Dd.ii Mine Anna..My loue that medeth with disdaine.

1581 B. Rich Don Simonides I. sig. Miij Heauenly power, vouchsafe to mede our misse, Thou Primus motor who directes, the Sphers of Planets seuen.

?1828 W. T. Moncrieff Eugene Aram iii. i, in MS Add. 42915 f. 210^v Eugene, my son this moment meeds me all life's crosses.

2. transitive. To deserve, merit. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > dueness or propriety > [verb (transitive)] > deserve (well or ill) > by merit

deservec1440

demerit1555

meed1613

1613 T. Heywood Siluer Age i. sig. B3 Thy body meedes a better graue.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	meed
释义	meedn. Brit. /miːd/, U.S. /mid/ Forms: Old English–Middle English med, late Old English–1800s mede, early Middle English mæde, early Middle English meda, Middle English medee, Middle English meid, Middle English meide, Middle English meode, Middle English miede, Middle English myde, Middle English–1600s meede, Middle English– meed, 1600s meade, 1900s– mead (irregular); Scottish pre-1700 med, pre-1700 mede, pre-1700 meide, pre-1700 meyd, pre-1700 1700s meid, pre-1700 1700s– meed, 1700s mead. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian mēde , mīde rent, gift, Middle Dutch mēde , miede wages, rent, interest (Dutch miede wages, payment (obsolete), message (now only regional)), Old Saxon mēda , mieda , meoda wages, payment (Middle Low German mēde , miede wages, payment), Old High German miata , mieta , miota wages, bribery (Middle High German miete wages, bribery, German Miete rent) < a West Germanic variant (with loss of -z- and compensatory lengthening) of the Germanic base of Old English meord reward, pay, Gothic mizdō wages, reward < the Indo-European base of Sanskrit mīḍha prize, contest, Avestan mīžda reward, ancient Greek μισθός hire, reward, Old Church Slavonic mĭzda wages, Russian mzda (archaic) recompense, payment, (ironic) bribe; probably related to an Indo-European base meaning ‘change’, ‘exchange’ (see man adj.). 1. a. In early use: something given in return for labour or service; wages, hire; recompense, reward, deserts; a gift. Later: a reward or prize given for excellence or achievement; a person's deserved share of (praise, honour, etc.). Now literary and archaic. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > reward or a reward > [noun] > a reward edlenc888 meedeOE meedseOE leanOE gratitude1535 requital1545 requite1862 bounty1868 the mind > possession > giving > gift or present > [noun] givec888 lakeOE presentc1230 giftc1275 garrison1297 benefit1377 beneficec1380 givinga1382 handsela1393 donativec1430 oblation1433 propine1448 presentationc1460 don1524 sportule1538 premie?1548 first penny1557 donation1577 exhibition1579 donary1582 fairing1584 merced1589 gifture1592 meed1613 recado1615 regalo1622 regale1649 dation1656 compliment1702 dashee1705 dash1788 cadeau1808 bestowment1837 potlatch1844 prez.1919 Harry Freeman's1925 pressie1933 eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) ii. ix. 128 Þa ondswarede & cwæð, þæt he ealle ða god, þe he meahte, for mede þislicre fremsumnesse syllan wolde. OE Beowulf 2134 He me mede gehet. OE Blickling Homilies 45 Þonne onfoþ hi from Gode maran mede þonne hi from ænigum oþrum lacum don. OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxix. 259 Swa he feorran godes hus gesecð, swa his med mare bið. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 8806 What scal beon mi mede ȝif ic þider ride. a1300 Passion our Lord 61 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 39 (MED) Vor alle þe gode þat he heom dude, hi yolde him luþre mede. c1330 Otuel (Auch.) (1882) 858 Such cas may fallen, in sum neede He mai quiten vs oure mede. a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 5355 No tong miȝt telle þe twentiþe parte Of þe mede to menstrales þat mene time was ȝeue. c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) 2392 Þov schalt haue an hundred pound of golde for þy mede. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) i. xv. 83 Forto serue God and deserue meede in hevene. 1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. lvii^v He that lendyth to haue rewarde or mede..may of hell payne haue drede. 1570 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xx. 105 That man in deid is worth sum meid, His fault that dois confes. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. ii. sig. B8 A Rosy girlond was the victors meede. 1613 T. Heywood Siluer Age i. sig. B3 As thy guilt's meede, by that monster die. a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) i. i. 280 No meede but he repayes Seuen-fold aboue it selfe. View more context for this quotation 1638 J. Milton Lycidas in Obsequies 20 in Justa Edouardo King He must not flote upon his watry biere..Without the meed of some melodious tear. a1677 I. Barrow Wks. (1683) II. 207 A long and prosperous enjoyment of the Land of Canaan was the meed set before them. 1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey III. xiv. 177 If so, a cloak and vesture be my meed; 'Till his return, no title shall I plead. 1772 W. Jones Poems 23 Let falling kings beneath my jav'lin bleed, And bind my temples with a victor's meed. 1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles iii. iv. 86 A lordly meed To him that will avenge the deed! 1854 S. T. Dobell Balder xxiii. 125 Rich loves that as they list Exchange and take and give Unmeted mede and debts for ever due. 1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche ii. vi. 16 To be praised for beauty and denied The meed of beauty. 1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 1 Nov. 21/3 An accommodation-house that has never received its due meed of notoriety. a1966 ‘M. na Gopaleen’ Best of Myles (1968) 183 Allowing it some small mead of admiration. 1986 Amer. Hist. Rev. 91 (Suppl.) 7 Herodotus set out to award a due meed of glory both to Hellenes and to the barbarians. †b. In plural. Obsolete.In many of these quots. the plural may be taken collectively, although in some (esp. quots. 1613 and 1616) it is unclear what is intended. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > reward or a reward > [noun] > a reward edlenc888 meedeOE meedseOE leanOE gratitude1535 requital1545 requite1862 bounty1868 eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. iii. 266 Ic þe soðlice secgo, þætte þæt wæron engla gastas þe þær cwomon, þa me to þam heofonlecan medum cegdon & laðodon. c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (1973) 38 Summe þurh muchele ȝeouen & misliche meden. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 2987 God scal beon þi meda for þira gretinge. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) Gen. xxxi. 8 The dyuers colourid shulen be thi medis. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 2353 Lang he led him with delay To mare þe medes of his fai. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 2428 Ȝit rad for all þaire rebelte resayued þai þaire medis. a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 144 Sum gevis for mereit and for meidis. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. ii. sig. O4^v She..Winnes an Oliue girlond for her meeds. 1613 T. Heywood Siluer Age iii. sig. F4 Theseus, Perithous, Philoctetes, take Your valours meeds. 1616 B. Jonson Poëtaster (rev. ed.) iii. v, in Wks. I. 309 Then dare to sing vnconquer'd Caesars deeds; Who cheeres such actions, with aboundant meeds. c. to meed (in Old and Middle English also †to medes): as a reward. Also †to a person's meed. Now archaic. [In Old English, alongside the regular to mēde , is found to mēdes , with an irregular genitive singular formed on the analogy of neuter nouns used in similar adverbial phrases, such as to leanes (see lean n.¹). In Middle English the form medes in this phrase was perhaps apprehended as a plural.] ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > reward or a reward > as reward or in recompense [phrase] to meedOE to meeding?a1300 in revenge for (also of)1553 for one's painsa1563 OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 270 God him sylð tomedes þæt ece lif. OE Ælfric Homily (Corpus Cambr. 188) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 45 Þæt hi ealle habbon heofonan rice him gemænelice, him sylfum to mede. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 67 Ure louerd..giueð hem to medes eche lif and blisse. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 155 Þet we moten..habbe to mede endelese blisse. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 3150 Wat woste..þulke mon to is mede ȝiue uawe, þat þe king aurely broȝte sone of lifdawe? a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (1987) ii. 1201 My-self to medes wole þe lettre sowe. a1425 Celestine 75 in Anglia (1878) 1 69 (MED) To meodes I wile bicom þi man at þi somoun. a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 599 To medys þou ȝeue me howse and londe. a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 26 Thou was alway..to me trew as stele..frendship shal thou fele To mede. 1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. IV 186 Those who pleasure had to meed Upon a day when all were glad. 1883 R. W. Dixon Mano i. xiv. 45 They both of worth deserved love's bliss to mede, And yet of him had only dule alone. †d. for any meed: for any purpose, from any motive. for no (kin) meed: on no account, not at all; under no circumstances. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > small of quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > not at all never-a-dealc1250 no dealc1250 not a dealc1250 no grue13.. not a (one) grue13.. for no (kin) meedc1330 in (also by and without preposition) no mannerc1330 nothing like?a1425 by no (manner of) means (also mean)c1440 at no handa1500 never, not (etc.) a whit (awhit, a-whit)1523 not a quincha1566 by leisure1590 c1330 Sir Degare (Auch.) 614 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 306 Lo, what chaunse and wonder strong Bitideȝ mani a man wiȝ wrong, Þat..spouseȝ wif for ani mede. a1350 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 13 (MED) Þou hast lore þin cardinals..ne keuerest þou hem neuere for nones kunnes mede. a1450 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Caius) (1810) 5404 Off Kyng Richard myght they nought spede, To take trewes for no mede. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 3120 (MED) Me wondirs..if he it wete wald For any mede a-pon mold his meneyhe to lyuire. c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) 6248 (MED) Age taryeth for no mede. c1450 (?a1400) T. Chestre Sir Launfal (1930) 363 I warne the Þat þou make no bost of me, For no kennes mede. a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 135 in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 303 Ne spit not lorely, for no kyn mede. 1533 J. Heywood Play of Wether sig. Aii Yt is in dede Beyond the compas of all comparyson who coulde presume to shew for any mede. †e. to do meed: to reward or punish; (perhaps also) to do one's duty. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > reward or a reward > reward or recompense [verb (transitive)] foryield971 yield971 crownc1175 shipec1275 payc1330 to do meeda1350 rewardc1350 guerdonc1374 reguerdona1393 to do (one) whyc1400 quitc1400 recompense1422 salary1477 merit1484 requite1530 requit1532 reacquite1534 to pay home1542 remunerate1542 regratify1545 renumerate?1549 gratify?c1550 acquit1573 consider1585 regratiate1590 guerdonize1594 munerate1595 regratulate1626 reprise1677 sugar-plum1788 ameed1807 recompensate1841 a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 71 (MED) Suete Iesu..þou do vs heuene mede. c1450 (?a1400) Sege Melayne (1880) 1017 (MED) Sen ilke a man feghtis for his saule, I sall for myn do mede. a1500 in R. L. Greene Early Eng. Carols (1935) 272 (MED) Of hys penans God do hym med! 2. a. Reward dishonestly offered or accepted; corrupt gain; bribery. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > illegal payment or exaction > [noun] > bribe > bribery meedc1275 corruptionc1425 bribing?c1524 suborning?1532 bribery1560 budding1640 subornation1670 palmistry1828 palm-greasing1832 boodling1886 a greasing of palms1889 sugaring1891 fix1929 pay-off1930 schmear1950 long leg1967 c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 7712 Whærd [read whær] is þe ilke mon þat me ne mai mid mede ouer-gan. c1330 in T. Wright Polit. Songs Eng. (1839) 326 (MED) He wole take mede of that on and that other And late the parsoun have a wyf. c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 594 Thow shalt nat swere for enuye ne for fauour ne for mede. c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. iii. 241 Þat laborers and louh folk taken of heore Maystres, Nis no Maner Meede bote Mesurable huyre. ?1423 Rolls of Parl. V. 407/1 For affection, love, mede, doubte or drede. ?c1430 (c1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 247 False curatis þat ȝeuen mede or hire to comen in-to siche worldly offices. a1450 ( Libel Eng. Policy (Laud) in T. Wright Polit. Poems & Songs (1861) II. 184 That they take mede wythe pryvé violence, Carpettis, and thynges of price and pleysaunce. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xviii. 25 He toke mede and money of the Scottis. 1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Aviii It is a packe of people that seke after meede. 1591 J. Florio Second Frutes 93 Golden meedes doo reach al heights. 1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia i. i. 18 For any respect of Favour, Meade, Dreade, Displeasure, or corruption. 1765 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. I. 230 Without partiality through affection, love, meed, doubt, or dread. 1808 W. Scott Marmion ii. xxii. 101 Her comrade was a sordid soul, Such as does murther for a meed. a1835 J. Hogg Wks. Ettrick Shepherd (1876) 88 Then 'gan to tell a crazy tale, She told it for a meed. 1906 C. M. Doughty Dawn in Brit. V. xix. 132 But found, no Briton, in these wars, Is, that betray, for torment, or for meed, Would Caradoc's lurking place. †b. Personified. Obsolete.In Piers Plowman (quot. c1400), the character of Lady Meed represents both reward in general and bribery in particular; this is discussed in detail in a later passage ( iii. 224–82 in the A text, iii. 230–56 in the B text, and iv. 292–342 in the C text). ΚΠ c1400 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. ii. 16 (MED) Þis womman..is mede þe maide. c1430 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls 228 Foolhardynesse, Flaterye, and Desyr, Messagerye, and Meede, and other thre. †3. Merit, excellence, worth. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > merit > [noun] earningOE meritc1230 meeda1387 ablenessa1425 meedfulness1530 meriting1549 desert1563 deservednessa1628 deservingness1631 meritoriousness1639 premiability1675 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 149 A man of grete meryt and mede. c1390 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 494 Þat is the Meedes of þe Masse. 1493 Festivall (1515) (de Worde) f. 47^v Fayth hath no mede ne meryte Where mannes wytte gyueth experyence. a1500 (c1380) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 476 (MED) Siþ it is greet meede to do almes for a tyme, it were myche more meede to contynue perpetual almes. 1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. lv^v It is mede, To gyue it to suche as haue necessyte. 1565 J. Jewel Replie Hardinges Answeare vii. 375 They saye, It is a mater of special meede: and hable to Confounde Heresies. a1600 Floddan Field (1664) i. 2 Thou imp of Mars thy worthy meeds, Who can discourse with due honour. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) iv. x. 6 My meed hath got me fame. View more context for this quotation 1714 J. Gay Shepherd's Week iii. 17 Thou bard of wond'rous meed. [Note] Meed, an old word for Fame or Renown. 1791 J. Learmont Poems Pastoral 15 How can I houk a graff for her, Ane o' sic comely mead? †4. Scottish. Aid, assistance, help, support. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > [noun] fultumeOE help971 succour?c1225 abetc1330 succouringc1330 speedc1340 subsidya1387 rescousc1390 chevisancea1400 juvamentc1400 supply1420 aid1430 favour1434 supplying1436 suffrage1445 availa1450 boteningc1450 succurrancec1450 adjuvancea1460 assistance1495 meeda1500 subventiona1500 suppliancea1500 adjutory?a1513 sistancea1513 adminiculation1531 abetment1533 assisting1553 adjument1576 society1586 aidance1593 opitulation1598 secourse1598 second1605 suppeditation1605 assistency1642 auxiliation1657 adjutancy1665 adjuvancy1677 abettal1834 sustenance1839 constructiveness1882 a1500 Ratis Raving 398 With It þow may thin erand speid Qwhen baith will failȝhe strenth and meid. 1568 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS f.21^v Haif ws in mynd and grant ws meid. 1607 in Lett. Eccl. Affairs Scotl. (1851) I. 114 This kirk..sall nevir miss meid nor comfort from yow. 1669 Hist. Sir Eger 67 Speed thee with all thy meed, To comfort them and make them glad. 5. literary. A deserved accolade, title, or epithet. Now rare. ΚΠ 1829 S. Shaw Hist. Staffs. Potteries p. vi In the Mercantile World generally, the meed of admiration and excellence has been assigned to some Potters. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Œnone (rev. ed.) in Poems (new ed.) I. 122 Pallas and Aphrodite, claiming each This meed of fairest. 1856 C. M. Yonge Cameos xxxvi, in Monthly Packet May 329 Even the world itself could hardly award the meed of unprofitable to the studies of Roger Bacon. 1873 A. Anderson Song of Labour 4 ‘Yet you claim the meed of poet?’ and I answer firm and strong, Count me only as a poet, Brothers, while I sing this song. 1892 J. D. Canning Connecticut River Reeds 131 In what blest realms do they now wear The meed of soldiers true, Promoted from the strife to share The peace I cannot view? This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022). † meedv. Forms: Old English medgian (perhaps transmission error), Old English median, early Middle English mead, Middle English med, Middle English medi, Middle English medy, Middle English myde, Middle English–1500s mede, Middle English–1600s meede, Middle English–1600s (1800s archaic) meed. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch mēden , mieden to pay, hire, bribe, Old Saxon mēdian , mēdon to pay (Middle Low German mēden , mieden to rent, hire, German regional (Low German) meden ), Old High German mieten , mietōn to reward, rent, hire (Middle High German mieten to reward, rent, hire, bribe, German mieten to rent, hire) < the West Germanic base of meed n. Obsolete. 1. transitive. To reward, recompense. In negative sense: to bribe. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > illegal payment or exaction > [verb (transitive)] > bribe meedOE underorna1325 corrump1387 forbuy1393 hirec1400 wage1461 fee1487 under-arearc1503 bribe1528 grease1528 money1528 corrupt1548 budc1565 to feed with money1567 to put out a person's eyes with (a gift, bribe, etc.)1580 sweeten1594 to grease the fist or (one) in the fist1598 over-bribe1619 to buy off1629 palter1641 to take off1646 buy1652 overmoneya1661 bub1684 to speak to ——1687 to tickle in the palm1694 daub1699 overbuy1710 touch1752 palm1767 to get at ——1780 fix1790 subsidize1793 sop1837 to buy over1848 backsheesh1850 nobble1856 square1859 hippodrome1866 see1867 boodleize1883 boodle1886 to get to ——1901 reach1906 straighten1923 lubricate1928 to keep (someone) sweet1939 sling1939 to pay off1942 bung1950 OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iii. xxxi. 237 Þone Erminigeldum his fæder ongan læran & mid medum median & mid beotum bregan, to þon þæt he gecyrde to ðam arrianiscan gedwolan. a1225 (?OE) MS Vesp. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 243 (MED) We scule bien..imeaded mid heahere mede. c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (1973) 414 (MED) He bihet to medin ham mid swiðe heh mede. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 146 (MED) Alle he..ssel deme communliche and alle medi largeliche. a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 4646 (MED) He..meded hem so moche..þat þei him bi-hiȝt..Þat þei priueli wold enpoysoun þe king. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 421 (MED) Alisaundre medede [L. subornabat] þe bisshoppes and warned hem what answere he wolde have. ?c1425 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Royal 17 D.vi) (1860) 17 (MED) Stelthe is meeded with a chokelewe [v.r. chekelew] bane. c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 195 (MED) Judas..proferede to take hym to hem..so that they wolde mede hym. 1496 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (de Worde) ix. xiv. 367/2 They shal be thanked & be meded therfore as I sayd fyrste. a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 107 (MED) It fallys þat þou mede his werkys aftyr his seruyce þat he doos to þe. 1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. Dd.ii Mine Anna..My loue that medeth with disdaine. 1581 B. Rich Don Simonides I. sig. Miij Heauenly power, vouchsafe to mede our misse, Thou Primus motor who directes, the Sphers of Planets seuen. ?1828 W. T. Moncrieff Eugene Aram iii. i, in MS Add. 42915 f. 210^v Eugene, my son this moment meeds me all life's crosses. 2. transitive. To deserve, merit. rare. ΘΚΠ society > morality > dueness or propriety > [verb (transitive)] > deserve (well or ill) > by merit deservec1440 demerit1555 meed1613 1613 T. Heywood Siluer Age i. sig. B3 Thy body meedes a better graue. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.eOEv.OE
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