Etymology: Cognate with (masculine) Old Frisian rēd advice, decision, approval, care, usefulness, Middle Dutch raet , rait , raedt expedient, good state, rescue, remedy, measure, trick, method, plan, secret, decision, consultation, deliberation, self-control, advice, information, suggestion, impulse, advisor, council, advisory assembly, thought (Dutch raad understanding, wisdom, consideration, thought, plan, solution, advice, consultation, deliberation, councillor, council, advisory assembly, remedy), Old Saxon rād advice, teaching, help, support, profit, advantage (Middle Low German rāt , rād- care, power of disposal, solution, discussion, decision, resolution, advisory assembly, advisor), Old High German rāt advice, counsel, plan, decision, rescue, release, assembly, discussion, provision (Middle High German rāt advice, teaching, discussion, decision, advisory assembly, provision, care, support, sustenance, means, ability, remedy, solution, renunciation, German Rat advice, solution, council, councillor), (neuter) Old Icelandic ráð advice, plan, foresight, consent, will, agreement, management, business, condition, marriage, council, councillor, Norn (Shetland) ro advice, counsel, Old Swedish raþ resource, means, way out, advice, opportunity, possibility, provision, will, stipulation, decision, plan, advisory committee, council, advisor, resolution (Swedish råd advice, counsel, means, way out, council), Danish råd advice, remedy, council < the same Germanic base as read v., rede v.¹The early Middle English form reað (see quot. c1225 at Phrases 2a) perhaps shows the influence of rathe n.¹ in its final consonant. This word is rare after the 17th cent., and appears to have been revived in archaic and poetic use in the 19th cent.; compare rede v.¹ III.

Etymology: Origin unknown. Probably related to post-classical Latin reda (probably) ploughing and sowing service (13th cent. in British sources), and to the vernacular word in Latin documents shown by the examples below, but the nature of any relationship is unclear. Perhaps compare further rede v.²Rede occurs as a vernacular word (presumably either Anglo-Norman or Middle English) in a Latin document in the following examples, apparently with the sense ‘ploughing and sowing service’:a1300 Transcript Red Bk. Hereford 14 in Camden Misc. (1929) XV Item, memorandum quod..debent arrare viii acras terre et seminare proprio frumento et herciare, que vocatur la Rede.a1300 Transcript Red Bk. Hereford 19 in Camden Misc. (1929) XV Et sciendum quod aratura que vocatur le Rede est allocata omnibus custumariis.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic rǫdd , radd- voice, song: see reird n.), or perhaps a variant of reird n. Compare earlier reer n.

Etymology: < rede v.² Compare earlier redd n.¹ 2.

Etymology: Originally a variant of read v., in modern use distinguished in form in the senses below. For a full discussion of the form history see read v.In branch I. perhaps influenced by rede v.² (compare sense 2 at that entry), from which it can occasionally be difficult to distinguish, especially in Old English. However, cognates of rede v.¹ show similar semantic development in languages where the two stems remain clearly distinguished phonologically (see read v.). In sense 1c perhaps by association with redd v.¹ (see sense 1a at that entry). With the archaic use of this word since the 19th cent. in branch III. compare rede n.¹ The expected forms of the past tense and past participle redd , red are not attested after the 19th cent. The only current form, rede , apparently arose by analogy with the present tense, although (as with read , modern-day past tense and past participle of read v.) the intended pronunciation may also have a short vowel. For a fuller discussion see etymological note at read v.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian -rēda (in birēda to prepare), Middle Dutch rēden , reeden , reiden to make ready, to set in order, to prepare, to equip, to disentangle, to clean, to settle (a dispute) (Dutch reeden to make ready, to clear, to finish, to equip, to tidy, to clear, to comb (the hair)), Middle Low German rēden , reiden to make ready, prepare, to equip, to set in order, to provide, to settle, to pay, Middle High German reiten to set in order, to prepare, to reckon, to pay (compare German bereiten to prepare), Old Icelandic reiða to weigh, to pay, to prepare, Old Swedish rēþa to make ready, to set in order, to prepare, to make clear, to count (Swedish reda to set in order, to make ready, to prepare, to pay, to disentangle, to clear up), Danish rede to make ready, prepare, to put in good order, to tidy, to untangle, to comb (the hair), to settle, to pay < the same Germanic base as Old English rǣde (see ready adj.).Most of the senses of this word are also represented at redd v.² and rid v.; the three verbs are likely to have influenced one another semantically. It is difficult to distinguish forms of this word from those of redd v.² All spellings indicating a long stem vowel have been placed at this entry. Monosyllabic past tense and past participle forms with a short vowel have also been listed here and treated as the regular reflexes of the past tense (rǣdde ) and past participle (gerǣdd ) of Old English rǣdan (with shortening before the double consonant) rather than as forms of redd v.² (with assimilation of final -ed ), except where the available evidence strongly suggests the contrary, i.e. where there is no clear evidence for forms with a long stem vowel either in that particular sense (compare redd v.² 7) or in the relevant regional variety, or where the immediate context of an attested form also shows a present stem form with a short vowel. Furthermore, vowel quantity in some forms can be difficult to judge. Forms in the present and infinitive with -ea- are taken as showing a long vowel and listed here, but given the association of this word in later use with ready adj. and ready v., some may rather show a short vowel and hence belong at redd v.²; see further discussion at that entry. In some senses in the past tense and past participle, it is also difficult to separate this word from redd v.¹ With sense 8 compare reet , recorded as a verb in this sense in glossaries of Yorkshire dialect from the 18th and 19th centuries. This may perhaps show an alteration of this word by association with reet , variant of right v., or a semantic development of right v. by association with the present word. In Old English the prefixed form gerǣdan (compare y- prefix) is also attested in sense ‘to comb (the hair)’ (compare sense 8). Compare also graith v.