▪ I. wed, n. Obs. exc. dial.
(wɛd)
Also 1, 4 wedd, 3–6 wedde, (5 wede, weed); 5–9 Sc. wad, (5 vad), 9 Sc. and dial. wadd; 7 wade.
[Com. Teut.: OE. wed(d neut. = OFris. wed neut., pledge, covenant, OS. weddi neut., pledge (MLG. wedde pledge, wager, etc.), (M)Du. wedde fem., wages, OHG. wetti neut. (MHG. wette, wet neut., fem., pledge, wager, etc., mod.G. wette fem., wager), ON. veð neut., pledge (MSw. väþ neut., pledge, wager, Sw. väd neut., wager), Goth. wadi neut., earnest-money, pledge :— OTeut. *wađjo-m, cogn. w. L. vadem (vas) masc., surety (whence vadimōnium bail), Lith. wad{uacu}oti to redeem a pledge. The OTeut. word was adopted in the Rom. langs.: see gage n.1, wage n.]
1. A pledge, something deposited as security for a payment or the fulfilment of an obligation; sometimes of a person, a hostage.
| a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1016, & heora freondscipe þær ᵹefæstnodon, ᵹe mid wedde ᵹe mid aþe. a 1225 Ancr. R. 394 Ne telleð me him god feolawe þet leið his wed ine Giwerie uorto acwiten ut his fere? a 1300 Cursor M. 6798 If þat þou..O pur man tas wedd o clath Yeil[d] again þat clath..Ar sun ga dun þat ilk dai. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. xxxix. 110 He hath hewe sum wher a burthen of brere, tharefore sum hay-ward hath taken ys wed. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 244, I lerned amonge Lumbardes and Iewes a lessoun..to legge a wedde and lese it. 1382 Wyclif Ezek. xviii. 7 He shal ȝeelde the wed [Vulg. pignus] to the dettour. c 1389 Eng. Gilds (1870) 91 And qwo-so come after prime be smeten, he shal pay jd, or leye a wed. 1436 E.E. Wills (1882) 107 Item I wolle that the prioresse & the house of Chesthunt haue freely theire Weddys ayen withouten any mony payenge. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 519/1 Wedde, or thynge leyyd yn plegge, vadium, pignus. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 155 And he nother his heires shold never take wedde of the forsaide Anneys or of her assignes. 1458 Forman's Monumt. Christ's Hosp., Abingdon 70 For now is Culham hithe i com to an ende,..Few folke there were coude that wey wende, But they waged a wed or payed of her purse. a 1500 in Arnolde's Chron. (1811) 18 Yf any man of our landis..take any tolle or custume of the citezens of London other wyse than they shuld the Sherefs of London shall take wed of hem at London. 1560 Rolland Seven Sages Prol. iii, My buke to borrow greitlie scho did Inquyre, Ane wed thairfoir scho said scho wald doun lay. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 49 Some things are borrowed and lent, be giving and receaving of ane wad. Ibid., Stat. Alex. II, 18 And gif he may not giue wades..he sall remaine as wade: aye and quhill he enter the pledges, quhilkis he promised. 1776 Herd's Sc. Songs II. Gloss., Wad or wed, pledge, wager, pawn. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxxiv, I thought the chield Morris looked devilish queer when I determined he should remain a wad, or hostage, for my safe back-coming. |
b. fig., or in reference to staking one's life (
cf. 2 c, 4).
| 1340 Ayenb. 102 Þis adopcion is ase weddes ase zayþ saynte paul huerby we byþ zikere þet we ssolle habbe þe eritage of oure uader. [Cf. Vulgate pignus, Eph. i. 14.] 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 195 Hedde I be Marchal of his Men..I durste haue I-leid my lyf, and no lasse wed, He hedde beo lord of þat lond. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xviii. (Egipciane) 624 For oure sawete one quhilk [tree] vas he put, & his blud schede, & for ws put nane vthir wed. 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles iii. 309 And ho so grucche or grone, aȝeins her grette willes, May lese her lyff lyghtly, and no lesse weddis. c 1400 Beryn 2984 No les wed þen lyvis! c 1530 Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 59 He that lawith at a mynstrels worde, gevith to hym a wedde. |
† c. A nuptial pledge or promise.
Obs.| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xli. (Agnes) 400 Here-of in vitnesyng remanis ay þe forsad ryng one þe fyngire of þat ymag of vad of weding in-to vag. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 94 Bot ferst, er thou be sped, Thou schalt me leve such a wedd, That I wol have thi trowthe in honde That thou schalt be myn housebonde. |
† 2. In various phrases the
n. assumes the contextual sense: The condition of being pawned, mortgaged, given up as a hostage, etc. (
Cf. pledge n. 6.)
Obs. a. to wed,
in wed: as a pledge or hostage.
in wed of: as security for (a payment, etc.).
For
dead wed (
= mortgage) see
dead a.
| Beowulf 2998 Ond þa Iofore forᵹeaf anᵹan dohtor, hamweorðunge, hyldo to wedde. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2198 Ðis symeon bi-lef ðor in bond, To wedde under Iosepes hond. c 1440 Gesta Rom. xxiv. 88 But if þou pay now, I shal holde thi wif to wed, tyll tyme þat I be paied fully my salary. 1460 Extracts Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 405 That na induellande of this burgh..tak in wed ony gudis that Wat Cutlaris wife bryngis for ony penyworthis oythir than dry siluer. 1488 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 98 [13l. 10s.] quhilk he had gevin away at the Kingis command, and had the Thesauraris signet in wed tharof. 1530 Burgh Rec. Edin. (1871) II. 28 Item, that na maner of parsonis man nor woman tak ony claith in wedd fra vtheris. 1561 Burgh Rec. Stirling (1887) 79 Ane chenyie of gold..quhilk the Lady Caterene..deliverit him in wed of the sowme of ane hundreth and tuenty merkis. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 333 The Scotis sulde gyue Cumbirland,..in wedd of payment of the hail soume. |
† b. to set,
put,
lay to or in wed,
to betake on wed: to pawn, pledge (valuables), to deposit (money) as security; to mortgage (land); to give up (a person) as a hostage.
to take out of wed: to redeem (something pledged).
Obs.| ? a 900 ælfred's Dooms xxxvi, Ᵹif mon..hræᵹl.. to wedde selle. c 1205 Lay. 25172 Mi lond ich wulle sette to wedde for seoluere. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8083 He..leide willam is broþer to wedde normandye & borowede þer uppe of him an hondred þousend marc. 1382 Wyclif Amos ii. 8 And on clothis leyde to wedde thei eeten bysidis eche auter. 1387 Trevisa Higden V. 31 Hym was levere legge to wedde [L. distrahere] his vessel of silver and of gold..þan greve provinces and londes and þe senatoures. c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 4904 And yf he stire you and meeve Your jewels ley in wedde, certein he Lovethe your estate and prosperitee. 1430 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 38/2 Wyt yhe me in my strenyeand myster til haf put in wede til my lowyt..frend Andro Osteler..al the landis of [etc.]. 1450 Rolls of Parlt. V. 205/2 His plate and other goodes sold, and in wed layed. c 1450 Merchant & Son 162 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 143 Fadur, y schall do my parte to helpe yow owt of peyne, Yf y schulde leye my selfe to wedd, or that ye come ageyne. 1462 in Spalding Club Misc. V. 22 His tua sponys..at wer laid in wede to the said Thome. 1483 Cath. Angl. 412/1 To take owt of Wedde, depignerare. c 1500 Lyt. Geste Robyn Hode 212 My londes bethe sette to wedde..To a ryche abbot..Of saynt Mary abbay. 1536 Bellenden Cron. Scot. (1821) I. p. lvii, He that sald his swerd, or laid it to wed, was degradit of auctorite, and banist, as unworthy creature, out of thair cumpany. 1567 in 6th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. 643/2 Layd in wed to Maister Robert Rychartson..in pledge of fywe thousand pundis thir jowellis after following. 1573 in Inventaires de la Royne Descosse (Bannatyne Club) Pref. p. cliii, All that was lefte of the juelles unlayde to wed. 1597 J. S. Cert. MS. Poems, Way to Thrift F 6, And lay to wed both pot and panne When the fire clean is blowne out. 17.. Druken Wife o' Gallowa v. in Herd Sc. Songs (1776) II. 39 My Sunday's coat she has laid it a wad. |
† c. fig. Often,
to lay one's life, head, to wed, used to confirm or guarantee an assertion or an undertaking (
cf. 4).
Obs.| 971 Blickl. Hom. 131 Þæs Halᵹan Gastes, se wæs of heofenum onsended..to wedde þæs heofonlican eþles. a 1300 Cursor M. 16670 Þare he gaf his suete flesche for ur ranscun in wedd. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 246 Sir Adam of Stretton fulle hard was he led, Nouht without encheson, I lay my gloue to wed. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xviii. 31 Lyf seyth þat he likth and leyth his lif to wedde, Þat [etc.]. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 423 Herby þei myght bye mennis synnes, and laye hor soules in wedde, þat oþer mennis soules shulde be saved. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 95 And thus his trowthe he leith to wedde. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xv. 167 Thei..profreden here hedes to wedde, but ȝif it wolde falle as thei seyden. c 1400 Gosp. Nicodemus (Galba) 100 Þaire carping þare no thing þou knew, We lay oure heuiddes in wed. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas viii. xxiv. (1554) 194 b, The sweord of Arthur he durst not abide, Lest he should lay his lyfe to wed. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxviii. 56, I dar lay my heede to wed, Or that we go vntill oure bed That we shall here anothere. c 1470 Henry Wallace iv. 633 Ȝit felle Sothron left the lyff to wed. Ibid. ix. 1209 My hed to wed, Lochlewyn he past to se. a 1500 in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 247 A leche hath layd hys hed to wed To make a plaster that wolde me please. c 1530 Hickscorner C j, I warraunt you she wyll neuer saye you naye My lyfe I dare laye to wedde. |
† d. to lie or be to or in wed: to be in pawn.
lit. and
fig. Obs.| c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 360 Lat hym be war, his nekke lith to wedde. 1464 Paston Lett. II. 146 For in London lyth to wedde many ryche jowells of ouris. 1497 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 345 Item..giffin to the Prothonotar, to quit out the Duke of Yorkis broune hors that lay in wed in the toune, xiiij lib. c 1518 Skelton Magnyf. 2168 He may rynse a pycher, for his plate is to wed. 1556–7 Rec. Inverness (New Spalding Club) I. 5 The forsaid pece of land wes lyand to hyme in wed of ten pundis. |
† 3. Something taken or left that serves as evidence.
Obs.| a 1300 Cursor M. 4402 Bot for mi cri ful suith he [Joseph] fled And left wit me a taken wedd [Gött. a tokin in wedd]; His mantel es bi-left wit me, þat ilk man þee sothe mai see. Ibid. 7706 Fra þe kings aun bedd þus he [sc. David] broght a priue wedd. |
4. A stake in a game or wager. Also
fig. † to lay wed: to wager (
cf. 2 c).
| c 1320 Sir. Tristr. 320 Now boþe her wedde lys, And play þai biginne. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints i. (Petrus) 488 Lat Symone one fer stand fra þe bede, And ȝe sal se, I lay wede, Þe fendis craft sone onhyde. 1540 St. Papers Hen. VIII (1836) V. 178 He harde the Kynge say..that He trestyd to gett that proffett that never Kynge of Scottes had, and He shulde other have yt, or yt shulde coste Hym the best wed He had to leysse. 1665 R. Brathwait Comm. Two Tales 166 It is a dear wade, when your Life lies upon last Stake. 1670 Blount Glossogr. (ed. 3), Wed, a gage or pawn; a word still retained in the Country sport, called Pray my Lord a course in your park. 1721 J. Kelly Sc. Prov. 19 A Wad is a Fool's Argument. Spoken when, after hot disputing, we offer to lay a Wager that we are in the Right. 1802 Sibbald Chron. Sc. P. IV. Gloss., Wadds, a youthful amusement, wherein much use is made of pledges. 1808 Jamieson, Wadds... In this game, the players being equally divided..each lays down one or more wads or pledges at that extremity where the party, to which he belongs, chuse their station. A boundary being fixed at an equal distance from the extremities, the object is to carry off the wads from the one of these to the other. |
† 5. A gage of battle.
Obs.| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8404 Tak ȝe non hede of þeyr grete host, ffor wel ȝe wot þei ar bot bost,..ffor þem our wed schal nought be leued. c 1435 in Kingsford Chron. London (1905) 54 ‘This shull I preve with my body, and se here my wedde’: and threwe fforth his hode. |
† 6. Comb. (all
Obs.):
wed-bed, the marriage bed;
wedbedrip Law, some kind of
bedrip (the force of
wed- is uncertain);
wed-breach, breach of covenant (
OE.), adultery;
wed-break [as if
OE. *wedbreca], an adulterer;
wed-brother [
cf. ON. veðbróðir], a sworn brother;
wed-fee, a wager, the prize in a contest;
wed-fere, a spouse;
wed-keeper, a stakeholder;
wedman, a married man;
pl. married people;
wed-shooting (
Sc. wad-), shooting for a prize;
wed-spite nonce-wd. = spite-wed.
In the later instances referring to marriage
prob. directly associated with
wed v.
| a 1650 Old Robin 9 in Percy Fol. MS. I. 235 They had not in their *wed bed laid, scarcly were both on sleepe, but vpp shee rose. 1798 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. V. 367 Those priests the wed-bed who renounce. |
| c 1325 in Kennett Par. Antiq. (1818) I. 575 Et debet unam *Wedbedrip pro voluntate dominæ. |
| c 1020 Wulfstan Hom. xxxiii. (1883) 164 Eac syndan wide..þurh aðbrycas and ðurh *wed⁓brycas and ðurh mistlice leasunga forloren and forloᵹen. 1638 W. Lisle Heliodorus ii. 29 This crime of wed-breach. |
| a 1300 E.E. Psalter xlix. 18 If..with *wedbrek [Vulg. cum adulteris] þi dele þou sete. |
| c 1100 O.E. Chron. (MS. D) an. 1016, Coman beᵹen þa cyningas to gædre..& wurdon feolaᵹan & *wed broðra. c 1205 Lay. 14469 Send after mine sune Octa & æfter..Ebissa his wed-broðer. c 1300 K. Horn (Laud MS.) 295 He tok wit him anoþer þat was hornes wed broþer. c 1330 Florice & Bl. (Abbotsf. Club) 163 We beth wed brethren and trewthe iplight. c 1400 Brut (1906) 120 O þow false traitoure! haste þow my trewe wed⁓broþer slayn for cause of me? |
| c 1420 Avow. Arth. x, Butte carpe we now of ther othir thre, How thay preuyd hor *wedde-fee. 1504–5 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. III. 128 Item, to Dande Doule, that the King tynt on ane wedfee, xiiij s. a 1600 Montgomerie Devot. Poems iii. 7 Sleep na mair in sleuth and sin, Bot..richtly rin That hevinly wedfie for to win Vhilk he prepairs for his. 1620 in A. Maxwell Hist. Old Dundee (1884) 408 [He] put in the hands of Thomas Scot..twa double-angels of gold upon ane woodfie betwix himself and Alexander Hering. 1637 Rutherford Let. to Alex. Gordon 16 June, It is folly then for men to say, this is not Christ's plea, he will lose the wed-fee, men are like to beguile him: that were indeed a strange play. |
| 13.. Sir Beues (A) 3168, I trowe, he is nouȝt now here, þat schel be me *wedde-fere! |
| 1591 R. Bruce Serm. Edin. C 4 b, For as to this conscience, it is a faithfull *wed⁓keeper: the gages that it receiveth, it randeris. |
| c 1460 Towneley Myst. iii. 400 Me thynk my hert ryfis,..To se sich stryfis *wedmen emong. Ibid. xiii. 65 We sely wedmen dre mekyll wo. c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 806/22 Hic sponsus, a wedman. |
| 1792 Statist. Acc. Scot. II. 509 Many amuse themselves..with shooting for prizes, called here *wad-shooting. |
| c 1560 Sir T. Smith in Strype Life (1698) App. 24 You may well be called Mr. Agamus or Misogamus, Surnamed in right English, *Wedspite, or Spitewed. For I never heard Man speak so despitefully against Wedding and Marriage of the Queens Majesty in my Life. |
▪ II. wed, v. (
wɛd)
Inflected
wedded (also
wed),
wedding. Forms: 1
weddian, 2–3
weddenn, 3–4
wedden,
weddi,
-y, 3–5
wedd, (4
weed, 5
weede,
wid,
weddon), 3–6
wedde, 8–9
Sc. wad, 4–
wed.
[Com. Teut.: OE. węddian corresponds to OFris. weddia, MLG. wedden, OHG. wettôn (MHG., mod.G. wetten), to pledge, wager, ON. veðja to pledge, Goth. ga-wadjōn to espouse (ἁρµόζεσθαι):—OTeut. *wađjōjan, f. *wađjo-m wed n. The form
wed in the
pa. tense is now only dialectal; in the
pa. pple. it is common
dial. but otherwise rare
exc. in poetry.]
† 1. intr. To engage, covenant (to do something). Only
OE. (Const.
gen. or
to with gerundial inf.)
| a 1000 Laws æthelstan §23 (Liebermann) Ᵹif hwa ordales weddiᵹe, ðonne cume he [etc.]. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxii. 5 And hiᵹ.. him weddedon feoh to syllenne. |
2. trans. To wager, stake (
e.g. money, one's life, one's head).
Obs. exc. Sc. and
north.| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iv. 129 And ȝif þou worchest hit in wit Ich wedde boþe myn Eres, Þat lawe schal ben a laborer. 1393 Ibid. C. iii. 36 My lyf ich dar wedde, He shal lese for hure loue a lappe of trewe charite. c 1430 Chev. Assigne 27 & þat dare I my hedde wedde. 1560 Peebles Burgh Rec. (1872) 262 Stene Robesone weddit ten merkis of money aganes the said tar barrell that scho suld nocht mary the said king of Swane. c 1600 Montgomerie Sonn. xlvi. 8 Shute on; lat sie vho first my wedfie wins; For I will wed ane apple and a nute. 1786 Burns Earnest Cry & Prayer xv, Or faith! I'll wad my new pleugh-pettle, Ye'll see't or lang. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxxvi, I'll wad ye a plack, as we say in the north, that you get the pardon from the king. 1843 in T. Doubleday Coquet-Dale Fishing Songs (1852) 110 I'se wad a pund, when night comes round, That, creel for creel, we bang them a'! 1876 Whitby Gloss., Wad, to pledge; to bet. 1894 A. Reid Sangs o' the Heatherland 54 I'll wad that sune our neebors' heids Will doors and windocks thrang. |
3. To marry. (Common in dialects; otherwise only
literary.)
a. trans. Originally, to make (a woman) one's wife by the giving of a pledge or earnest. More fully,
† to wed (a woman) to wife, to or unto his wife. Hence, of a person of either sex: To take in marriage; to become the husband or wife of (a person) by participating in a prescribed ceremony or formal act.
| a 1000 Laws Edmund, Be wifmannes beweddunge §1 (Liebermann) Ᵹif man mædan oððe wif weddian wille, & hit swa hire & freondan ᵹeliciᵹe, [etc.]. Ibid. §6 Ᵹif hy þonne ælces þinges sammæle beon, ðonne fon maᵹas to & weddian heora maᵹan to wife. c 1205 Lay. 22243 Þis maiden he gon wedde and nom heo to his bedde. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1090 Two ðor werren quam him ðoȝte ear To wedden his two doȝtres ðear; Loth hem warnede. c 1275 Lay. 4500 A king of Britayne hadde hire i-wedded [c 1205 biwedded]. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A 772 Quat-kyn þyng may be þat lambe, Þat þe wolde wedde vnto hys vyf? c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1422 Wolde he be my worldly make & weddy me to wyue. Ibid. 2012, & she hym wedede after þan þat was hure fader fo. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xv. 70 Þe lady had mykill sorow þat scho had wedded him. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 925 Wed ane worthie to wyfe. 1485 Plumpton Corr. (Camden) 48 My lord Schanchler publyshed in the Parlament house the same day, that the Kings gud grace shall weede my lady Elizabeth. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxii. 216, I wyll wed her to my wyfe. 1548–9 Bk. Com. Prayer, Matrimony 14 With thys ring I thee wed. 1552 Huloet, Wedde, denubo, for the woman; desponso, for the man. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iii. ii. 118 If you loue her, then to morrow wed her. a 1663 Killigrew Parson's Wedd. iv. i. (1664) 124 Pars. If she be my wife Sir? I have wedded her and Bedded her, what other Ceremonies would you have? 1794 Burns Weary Pund o' Tow iv, And 'or I wad anither jad, I'll wallop in a tow. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague i. iv. 248 The husband, now no longer tied May wed a new and blushing bride. 1856 Aytoun Bothwell i. xxiv, I wed A trembling, sickly, shrewish dame, And put her from my bed. 1873 Black Pr. Thule ix. 133 To think that your aunt would forbid your wedding a King's daughter! |
| fig. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 339 Cristis Chirche is his Spouse... And fer be it fro Cristene men to graunte þat Crist haþ weddid þe fend. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 15 O true valeyntyne is oure lord to me... With his blode, Seynt dauid! he did me wedde. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, v. i. 94 Come, come, in wooing Sorrow let's be briefe, Since wedding it, there is such length in Griefe. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 216 They led the Vine To wed her Elm. 1670 Dryden 2nd Pt. Conq. Granada iii. (1672) 113 In gaining him, I gain that Fortune too Which he has Wedded, and which I but Wooe. 1781 Cowper Retirem. 229 As woodbine weds the plant within her reach. |
† b. Phrase.
to wed (a) wife: to get married.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6798 Me sede þe king þat he moste nede wede wif. a 1300 Cursor M. 3216 Abraham wald in his lijf þat ysaac had wedded a wijf. c 1325 Lai le Freine 248 Than was ther..A riche knight..yong, and joliue; And had nought yete y-wedded wiue. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 149 He hath wedded a wyf with-inne this syx monethes. 1460 J. Capgrave Chron. (Rolls) 139 The fader of Gefrey Plauntgenet wedded a wyf only for beute. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 124 b, To one demaundyng when best season wer to wedde a wife. |
4. To bind (the contracting parties) in wedlock; to conduct the marriage ceremony for (a man and woman); also
absol.| 1{ddd} Rule of Chrodegang (Napier) 81 Brydguman & bryde mid ᵹebedum & mid ofringum mæssepreost sceal bletsian & weddian hi & betæcan hi be laᵹum. c 1440 Jacob's Well 21 We schewyn acursyd..alle preestys þat..weddyn ony oþere but here owyn parysschenys wyth-oute leve, or weddyn wythoute þe banys askyd. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 1 Alle men of religion þat howselith, or weddith, or anelith any man or woman, with-out leve. c 1450 Contin. Brut 425 The Erchebisshop of Caunturburi..weddid hem togederis there by ordynaunce of God and holy chirche. c 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxii. 214 How Huon..went to Rome to the pope, who weddyd togyther Huon and the fayr Esclaramonde. 1546 Yorks. Chantry Surv. (Surtees) 228 The sayd incumbent shuld..burye, wedde, and christen wythin the sayd chappell. 1876 R. Broughton Joan i. xxxii, The Helmsley Courier devotes three columns to the describing of..how they were clad, who wed them, [etc.]. |
b. To give (a woman) in marriage; to cause to be married.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 863 And whi here fader tarieth so longe To wedden here vn-to som worthi wight. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints vi. (Thomas) 47 Þe kinge of þat cunctre of nev his douchtir vedit had. 1843 J. S. Knowles Secretary ii. i. 21 My father cannot wed me 'gainst my will. |
5. pass. To be joined in wedlock; to be married
† with,
† unto,
to (a husband or wife); also, to be joined together as husband and wife.
| c 1200 Ormin 1942 & ȝuw birrþ witenn þatt ȝho wass Weddedd þurrh Godess wille Wiþþ an weppmann off hire kinn. Ibid. 1990 & forrþi wass ȝho till Josæp Wiþþ Godess laȝhe weddedd. a 1225 Ancr. R. 394 Auh þauh heo were iwedded him heo muhte i-wurðen so unwrest, [etc.]. c 1300 Havelok 1127 To-mo[r]we ye sholen ben weddeth, And, maugre þin, to-gidere beddeth. 138. Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 334 She lyvede sevene ȝeer wiþ hir hosebonde þat was weddid wiþ hir fro her maidenhod. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour xlvii–xlix. 66 After the knight was wedded to another wiff, and he and the secounde wiff leued togedre .v. yere. 1529 Frith Antithesis 96 b, The Pope sayeth.., my prestes also shall not be wedded. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 37 In Siracusa was I borne, and wedde Vnto a woman, happy but for me. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. 231 Cecilie..was wedded to Thomas Greie. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 828 And Adam, wedded to another Eve, Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct. 1673 J. W[ade] Vinegar & Mustard (1873) 21 Before that ever we were wed. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xxiv, When I returned..I found her wedded to a Gascon squire. 1874 Green Short Hist. iv. §1. 162 Eleanor the daughter of Simon of Montfort..was wedded to him [Llewelyn] at the English court. |
| fig. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 131 Hir hart was to him weddid with a Ringe. a 1400 Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xl. 253 Ihesu, my soule is weddet to þe. |
6. intr. (
† also
refl.). To enter into the matrimonial state; to take a wife or husband; to contract matrimony. Const.
† to,
with.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 368 Nolde him liken betere þen þauh me seide him þet heo gleowede & gomede, & wedde mid oðer men, & liuede in delices? c 1393 Chaucer Mariage 18 Bet ys to wedde than brenne in worse wise. 1483 Caxton Golden Leg. 170/1 Aurelyan..came to domycelle for to wedde and accomplissh the maryage by force ageynst hir wyll. 1530 Palsgr. 778/2 There be seasons forbydden to wedde in. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 132 Who wedth ere he be wise, shall die ere he thriue. 1592 Kyd Murther. I. Brewen Wks. (1901) 292 ‘But if I were so minded’ (quoth he), ‘I would be twice aduised how I did wed with such a strumpet as thy selfe’. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. ii. 17 Hee'll wooe a thousand,..Yet neuer meanes to wed where he hath woo'd. 1619 J. Dyke Counterpoyson (1620) 21 And yet how many sticke not to wed to Canaanites! 1721 Lett. fr. Mist's Jrnl. (1722) II. 248 A Country Fellow had the Misfortune to wed with one of the Godly. 1781 Cowper Table-T. 554 As if the poet, purposing to wed, Should carve himself a wife in gingerbread. 1807 Crabbe Par. Reg. i. 434 Yet..there were times of joy, (The day they wed, the christening of the boy). a 1834 Coleridge in Lit. Rem. (1839) IV. 59 Alas! alas! this is the misery of it, that so many wed and so few are Christianly married! 1859 Tennyson Marr. Geraint 227 And may you..live to wed with her whom first you love. 1884 H. Spencer in Contemp. Rev. Feb. 155 Dissenters..were made free to wed by a purely civil rite. |
| fig. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1517 He haueð iweddet him to mi meiðhad mit te ring of rihte bileaue. 1621 Heylin Microcosmus 243 [The Thames] flieth through Berks, Buck: Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, and Essex; and so weddeth himself with the Kentish Medway. |
7. trans. To unite as in marriage.
a. To attach (a person, his thoughts, etc.) indissolubly by affection
to something. Chiefly in
pass., to be obstinately attached
to (an opinion, one's own will, a habit, a faction, etc.). Also (rarely)
refl., to addict or devote oneself
to a party.
| c 1397 Chaucer Lack Stedf. 28 (MS. Cotton) O prince..Drede god..And wed thi folk ayen to stedfastnesse. 1421 26 Pol. Poems xviii. 6 Swete þouȝt in deuocion, Is weddid to chastite. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 279 b, This Pompeius..wedded hymselfe wholly to the faccion of Sylla. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 181 b, The kyng perceived & knewe well, that the quene was wedded to her awne opinion. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. L ij b, I was wedded vnto my wyll. 1575 Fleming Virg. Bucol. To Indifferent Rdr., The Bucolikes of Virgil..I haue translated into the Englishe tongue, wedding my selfe (as it were) to y⊇ vulgar and common phrase of speach. 1614 Ralegh Hist. World iii. i. §5. 9 It highly commends his diligence and iudgement, that he was not so wedded to any author, as affected with the loue of truth. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. vii. xxxi. 47 They are so wedded to superstition, that some adore the Devil. 1703 R. Neve City & C. Purchaser 45 Nations..are very apt to be wedded to their own Ways and Methods. 1707 Curios. in Husb. & Gard. 20 The frivolous Cares that wed you to the Town. 1712 Arbuthnot John Bull iv. vi, Your Honour has it in your power to wed me still closer to your interest! c 1750 Shenstone Love & Hon. 88 The love That weds each bosom to its native soil. 1800 Campbell On leaving a Scene in Bavaria xvii, Then wed thee to an exile's lot. 1866 Trollope Claverings iii, He was not wedded to the joys of his college hall, or the college common room. 1887 Colvin Keats ii. 34 Ready to entertain..any set of ideas.., he could never wed himself to any as representing ultimate truth. 1889 Mrs. E. Kennard Landing a Prize viii, You have been wedded to your comforts all your life. 1913 Woodrow Wilson New Freedom vi. 119 There are those, of course, who are wedded to the old ways. |
† b. To unite by liking or custom
with.
Obs.| c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 364 And errour in weiyng of þis love makiþ many fals weddingis; as men ben weddid wiþ þer habitis, and þer custumes, and þer singular maners, as ȝif þei weren Cristis comaundementis. |
† c. To commit or pledge (a person) irrevocably
to a course of action.
Obs.| 1578 H. Wotton Courtlie Controv. 251 Hauing maried a woman which did but dishonour the countrey, and had wedded him vnto a war so daungerous, as [etc.]. |
d. To join or couple (a thing) intimately
with or
to something else; to associate closely
together.
| 1818 Keats Endym. ii. 408 Above his head, Four lily stalks did their white honours wed To make a coronal. 1839 Hood Storm at Hastings x, Whilst we were panting with the sultry weather, And hardly cared to wed two words together. 1851 Westcott Introd. Study Gospels i. (1860) 78 The LXX. wedded Greek language to Hebrew thought. 1887 Saintsbury Hist. Elizab. Lit. ii. (1890) 46 The Ecclesiastical Polity remains a book in which matter and manner are wedded as in few other books of the same kind. 1891 Lindley's New Holidays in Essex 38 There is an excellent thing locally wedded with Blackwater boating. It is sausages. |
† 8. To espouse, adopt (a cause, a course of conduct, a custom, etc.).
Obs.| 1626 T. H[awkins] tr. Caussin's Holy Crt. 4 Men, who willingly wed the manners, and affections of those on whom they see theyr fortunes depend. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. i. §49 And though..most of the principal men of the House of Commons were again elected to serve in this Parliament, yet they were far from wedding the war. Ibid. ii. §57 Most of the King's Privy Council..now as frankly wedded that interest as any of the leaders. 1742 Young Nt. Th. i. 51 O lead my mind,..and fix my firm resolve Wisdom to wed. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. i. ii, Or, in milder language, They have wedded their delusions: fire nor steel, nor any sharpness of Experience, shall sever the bond. |
▪ III. wed, ppl. a. rare.
(
wɛd)
[pa. pple. of wed v.] = wedded.
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 700 This werre..That warnes me wyrchippe of my wedde lorde. a 1400 Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. 5 The sexte commandement forbeddes vs..to foly fleschely with any womane owþer..wedde or unwedde. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales xxxv. 25 He was a wed man. 1823 Byron Juan xi. xlvi, A rib's a thorn in a wed gallant's side, Requires decorum. |
▪ IV. wed(d obs. forms of
weed n.1,
n.2, v.
1