▪ I. heed, v.
(hiːd)
Forms: 1 hédan, 2–3 heden, 4–5 hede, 5 heede (heyd), 4– heed. pa. tense 1 hédde, 3 hedd(e, 5 hedit, -yt, -ut, 6– heeded. pa. pple. 4 hed, hedit, etc.
[OE. hédan = OS. hôdian, huodian (MDu., Du. hoeden, LG. höden, höen), OHG. huotan (MHG. hüeten, Ger. hüten):—WGer. *hôdjan, deriv. of *hôdâ, n. str. fem., OFris. hôde, hûde, OHG. huota, MHG. huote, Ger. hut fem., heed, guard, care, keeping; not recorded in OE., where its form would have been hód.]
† 1. intr. (In OE.) To take charge, take possession, take. Const. with gen.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 330 Lazarus ne moste..hedan ðæra crumena. Ibid. II. 114 We hedað þæra crumena ðæs hlafes. c 1000 Rectitud. Sing. Pers. c. 5 in Schmid Gesetze 376 Þonne him forð-sið ᵹebyriᵹe, hede se hlaford þæs he læfe, bute hwet friᵹes sy. |
2. intr. To have a care, pay attention, take notice. Const. in OE. and ME. with gen.; subseq. with of, later to, for. arch. and dial.
| Beowulf (Z.) 2697 Ne hedde he þæs heafolan. c 1000 Inst. Polity §10 in Thorpe Laws II. 316 Bisceopum ᵹebyreð þæt hi..ne hunda ne haveca hedan to swyðe. a 1300 Fragm. Sev. Sins 33 in E.E.P. (1862) 19 Nel he of oþir þing hede. c 1400 Destr. Troy 2663 Hedis to þat, and puttis of þat purpos. Ibid. 11531 Euer hedyng in hert of the hegh treason. a 1400–50 Alexander 3094 Hefys nott your hert to hye, bott hedes to your ende. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 2 Whan I had heeded and loked vpon it. a 1618 Sylvester Paradox agst. Libertie 800 Much strength and many men unto their hoordes to heed. 1690 Penn Rise & Progr. Quakers (1834) 60 Never heed, the Lord's power is over all weakness and death. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xxvi, Heed no longer for me, my lord. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss. s.v., Never heed, don't concern yourself, never mind. |
3. trans. To care for, concern oneself about; to take notice of, give attention to, to mind; to regard. (In Engl. now chiefly literary; in common use in Sc.)
| a 1225 Juliana 8 As þe þat heh þing hefde to heden. c 1340 Cursor M. 3085 (Trin.) Oure lord him ȝaf his lawe to hede. c 1400 Destr. Troy 10339 He hedut no hathell. 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. 54 (R.) That man should be punished who little heedeth the maintenaunce of his tillage. 1592 West 1st Pt. Symbol. §48 In the persons two thinges are to bee heeded. 1759 Hurd Retirem. ii. (R.), Which seem to be not perceived, or not heeded, by other men. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. iii. 104 Heed not that foolish wretch—go on, go on. 1870 Bryant Iliad I. i. 11 Domineer Over thy Myrmidons; I heed thee not. Mod. Sc. Never heed them! |
† 4. To observe, see, behold, take note of. Also intr. To look. (Cf. F. regarder.) Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 17801 Heo leopen to þan bedde, & þene king hedden. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 1050 Þe hyȝe trone þer moȝt ȝe hede. a 1400–50 Alexander 678 He..to þe heuyn lokis, Hedis heterly on hiȝe, behelde on a sterne. Ibid. 1527 Who so wates fro withowte & within hedes. |
▪ II. heed, n.
Forms: 3–6 hede, 4–5 hed, 4–6 Sc. heid, 5 hedde, (ȝed, -e), 5–6 heede, heade, 5– heed.
[app. f. heed v.: there is no corresponding OE. n.: see prec.]
1. Careful attention, care, observation, regard. (Now chiefly literary.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4248 (Gött.) Ioseph held euer his in hede. 1357 Lay Folks Catech. 200 Our gastly fadirs that has hede of us. 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. (1567) 54 b, Good hede would be had, that nothing be doubtfully spoken. 1575 Laneham Let. (1871) 50 With great art and heed..thyther conueyd, and thear erected. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iv. i. 101, I will..teach your eares to list me with more heede. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 5 Swimming so without heed, that some were in apparant danger. 1782 Cowper Gilpin 72 Full slowly pacing o'er the stones With caution and good heed. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) I. App. 701, I look on this account as worthy of all heed. |
b. Esp. in phr. to take († nim) heed.
| c 1305 St. Dunstan 25 in E.E.P. (1862) 35 His freond nome þerto hede. c 1305 St. Swithin 47 Ibid. 44 He þoȝte on þat þe godspel saiþ, þat me takþ of lute hede. 13.. Sir Beues (A.) 1030 Beues of hem nam gode hede. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 592 Bot proud man of þis tas na hede. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 177 Necessite hath neuere haly⁓day: Tak hede of that. c 1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 279 Of falsnesse non heed he nam, Bot at the last out hit kame. c 1450 Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 368 Tak hede at Aaron. 1526 Tindale Mark iv. 24 Take hede what ye heare. 1535 Coverdale Ps. xxxvii. 37 Kepe innocency, and take hede vnto the thinge that is right. 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 6 b, Every man toke muche hede to them that daunsed. a 1592 H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 33 Take heed is a good staff to stay upon. c 1689 Prior Ode 13 Take heed, my dear, youth flies apace. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 65 Let us take heed, and be on our guard against deceptions. |
c. later, to give, pay heed (to).
| 1504 W. Atkynson tr. De Imitatione iii. iii. 197 My sone, gyue hede to my wordes. 1526 Tindale 1 Tim. i. 4 Nether geve hede to fables. a 1774 Pearce Wks. III. xi. (R.), Every christian is bound to give diligent heed to the reading, and the study of them. 1844 Thirlwall Greece VIII. 443 Damocritus however paid no heed to their advice. 1870 Morris Earthly Par. I. i. 423 These unto thee will call To help them, but give thou no heed at all. |
† 2. That which one heeds. Obs. rare.
| 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. i. i. 82 Who dazling so, that eye shall be his heed, And giue him light that it was blinded by. |
3. Comb., as heed-giving, heed-taking.
| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 53 Companions of shoting, be prouidens, good heed giuing, true meatinge, honest comparison. 1577 Harrison England ii. vi. (1877) i. 152 They fall into this for want of heedtaking. 1619 W. Sclater Exp. 1 Thess. (1630) 218 Circumspection; diligent heed-taking to our selues. |
▪ III. heed
obs. form of head n.1