▪ I. feed, n.
(fiːd)
Also 5–7 fe(e)de,
[f. the vb.]
1. a. The action of feeding; eating, grazing; also, the giving of food; an instance of this.
| 1576 Turberv. Venerie 114 The feeding of an hart or such like..is called the feede. 1614 Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 1112 Long forbearance whereof [meates] causes a surfet, when wee come to full feede. a 1626 Bacon Max. & Uses Com. Law iv. (1635) 23 Pasture answerable to the feed of so many Deere as were upon the ground. 1686 Goad Celest. Bodies i. ii. 3 Birds coming late from Feed. 1833 H. Martineau Brooke Farm iii. 40 He should pay for the feed of his cow. 1873 W. B. Tegetmeier Poultry Bk. xxix. 370 Five or six [pellets] are given at one feed for each bird. |
b. Phrases.
at feed: in the act of eating or grazing.
out at feed: turned out to graze.
to be off one's feed (of animals, and
colloq. or
slang of persons): to have no desire for food; to have lost one's appetite.
(to be) on the feed (said of fish): (to be) on the look out for food; also, (to be) eating.
| 1621 Lady M. Wroth Urania 275, I like a Deare at feede, start vp for feare. 1680 Otway Orphan v. ix. 2231 All his little Flock's at feed before him. 1816 James Milit. Dict. (ed. 4) 156 A horse that is off his feed. 1823 Lamb Elia (1860) 21 The cattle, and the birds, and the fishes, were at feed about us. 1834 Medwin Angler in Wales II. 166 Towards evening he set out on the feed. 1862 Horlock Country Gentleman 172 Jack..was quite off his feed. 1867 F. Francis Angling iv. (1880) 108 The fish are well on the feed. 1871 Browning Balaust. 1317 And pipe..Pastoral marriage-poems to thy flocks At feed. 1879 Moseley Notes on Challenger ii. 30 A shoal of porpoises on the feed. 1888 Berksh. Gloss. s.v. Vead, A horse is said to be ‘out at ve-ad’ when turned into a meadow to graze. |
2. † a. A grazing or causing (cattle) to graze; also, the privilege or right of grazing (
obs.).
† b. Feeding-ground; pasture land (
obs.).
c. Pasturage, pasture; green crops.
| 1573 Tusser Husb. xvi. (1878) 34 Pasture, and feede of his feeld. 1594 Norden Spec. Brit., Essex (Camden) 10 Ther is w{supt}in the Nase..Horsey Ilande, verie good for feede. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. ii. iv. 83 His Coate, his Flockes, and bounds of feede Are now on sale. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 597 For such pleasure till that hour At Feed or Fountain never had I found. 1712 Prideaux Direct. Ch.-wardens (ed. 4) 30 The..Feed of the Church-yard is the Minister's. 1795 Burke Thoughts Scarcity Wks. 1842 II. 254 The clover sown last year..gave two good crops, or one crop and a plentiful feed. 1858 Bartlett Dict. Amer. 144 Tall feed, i.e. high grass. 1864 Tennyson North. Farmer (Old Style) x, Theer warnt not feäd for a cow. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., ‘I hanna sid more feed o' the groun' fur many a 'ear.’ 1888 Berksh. Gloss. s.v. Vead, Green crops for sheep, as turnips, swedes, rape, etc., are called ‘ve-ad’. |
3. a. Food (for cattle); fodder, provender.
| 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. iv. iv. 93 (Qo.) As the one is wounded with the bait, the other [sheep] rotted with delicious feed [honey-stalks]. 1878 Cumbrld. Gloss., Feed, provender for cattle. 1884 F. J. Lloyd Sc. Agric. 243 There arose the necessity of providing them with feed. 1884 Milnor (Dakota) Teller 13 June, J.D. is prepared to grind all kinds of Feed. |
b. An allowance or meal (of corn, oats, etc.) given to a horse, etc. Also
Milit. in
short-feed,
heavy-horse-feed,
light-horse-feed (see
quot. 1823).
| 1735 Sheridan in Swift's Lett. (1768) IV. 117, I can give your horses..a feed of oats now and then. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xii. xiii, Prepare them [horses] for their journey by a feed of corn. 1823 Crabb Technol. Dict., A short feed is a portion less than the regulated quantity. Heavy-horse-feed, a larger proportion given to the heavy dragoons, in distinction from Light-horse-feed, which is given to the hussars and the light horse. 1859 F. A. Griffiths Artil. Man. (ed. 9) 220 One feed of oats in the nose-bag. 1885 G. Meredith Diana I. viii. 176 The mare'll do it well..She has had her feed. |
c. Also, food, fare (for human beings).
U.S. colloq.| 1818 H. B. Fearon Sk. Amer. 194, I guess whiskey is all the feed we have on sale. 1835 Knickerbocker V. 304 A John Smith lives next door, to whom half my choice rounds and sirloins, selected personally in the market,—for I love good feed,—are sent without distinction. 1867 S. Hale Lett. (1919) 27 The cook is French and feed delicious. 1898 E. N. Westcott David Harum 283 You want a change o' feed once in a while, or you may git the colic. |
4. colloq. A meal; a sumptuous meal; a feast.
Cf. feast,
spread. Also, a full meal.
| 1808 Sporting Mag. XXXII. 122 A feed now and then at the first tables. 1830 Southey in Q. Rev. XLIII. 14 It is the custom to entertain a distinguished visitor with what, in the South Seas, as in modern London, is called a feed. 1839 Marryat Diary in Amer. Ser. i. II. 228 ‘Will you have a feed or a check?’ 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. xli (1856) 375 What a glorious feed for the scurvy-stricken ships! 1862 Sala Accepted Addr. 193 Snug little feeds preparatory to the grand banquet. 1875 Chamb. Jrnl. No. 133. 66 Little boys..having a feed of ice-cream. |
5. a. The action or process of ‘feeding’ a machine, or supplying material to be operated upon.
| 1892 P. Benjamin Mod. Mech. 663 The Hoe automatic tension brake for graduating the feed of the paper to the exact speed of the machine. |
b. The material supplied; also the amount supplied; the ‘charge’ of a gun.
| 1839 R. S. Robinson Naut. Steam Eng. 59 A cock by which the engineer can regulate the feed to the quantity required. 1869 Eng. Mech. 31 Dec. 389/1 By carrying less feed, less power may suffice. 1881 Knight Dict. Mech. IV. 330/2 The actual feed to the boiler is regulated by a controlling cock. 1881 Times 24 Feb., The time was taken in which the guns could be cleaned and could fire three ‘feeds’. 1883 Daily News 12 Dec. 2/5 The length of the feed is determined by the clutch. |
c. Short for
feed gear,
feed-pump, etc.; a feeder.
| 1839 R. S. Robinson Naut. Steam Eng. 139 The water would fall lower and lower in the boiler, if not replaced by the feed. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 340/2 The oil..falls..on the wool as it passes along the ‘feed’ to the teasing cylinder. 1957 Encycl. Brit. IX. 561/2 The feed for controlling the movement of the writing fluid [in a fountain pen] is made of plastic or of hard rubber. |
d. Theatrical slang. = feeder 11. Also in extended and
attrib. uses.
| 1929 J. B. Priestley Good Companions ii. i, Joe over there..is as good a feed as you could wish for. Ibid., You couldn't want a better dancer... The only thing is, he won't feed. I never struck a worse feed. 1936 N. Coward To-night at 8.30 I. 94, I don't count—I'm only a feed. 1958 Osborne & Creighton Epitaph G. Dillon ii. 61, I suppose I give you what is known as the ‘feed’ line now. 1958 Listener 7 Aug. 189/1 He [sc. the interviewer] can lure his victim into a false sense of confidence with the easy-paced, perfectly staightforward, guileless ‘feed’ question. Ibid. 28 Aug. 311/1 English voices..are nearly always used as ‘feeds’ for knowledgeable Americans [in broadcast discussions]. 1961 John o' London's 14 Sept. 307/2 Cantinflas, together with his feed-man Charamusca. |
6. attrib. and
Comb. a. simple attributive, (sense 3 and 3 b) as
feed-bag,
feed-bin,
feed consumption,
feed-crop,
feed-house,
feed-lot,
feed-mill (
U.S.),
feed-rack,
feed-stable,
feed-station,
feed-stuff,
feed-yard; (sense 5) as
feed-bar,
feed cistern,
feed-cock,
feed-dog [
dog n.1 7],
feed-hole,
feed-pipe (also
feed-pipe-cock,
feed-strainer,
feed-strum),
feed-pump.
b. objective, (sense 3) as
feed-chopper,
feed-crusher,
feed-cutter; (sense 5) as
feed-heating,
feed-roller.
| 1840 C. Mathews Politicians I. ii. 16 You prefer to be mystified more after the manner of a cartman's horse with his head in a *feed bag. 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. I. 828/2 Feed-bag, a nose-bag for a horse or mule, to contain his noonday feed or luncheon. 1906 E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands v. 54 The bloke that comes canoodlin' here gets that in his feed-bag! 1962 Punch 4 July 30/1 The notion that viewers would like to see celebrities at their feed⁓bags. |
| 1873 Young Englishwoman Mar. 131/2 The *feed bar and stitch mechanism are inclosed in a box. 1876 J. S. Ingram Centenn. Exposition ix. 298 The radiating arms..act against the feed-bar. |
| 1898 M. Deland Old Chester Tales 250 The open space between the stalls and the *feed-bins should be the stage. |
| 1903 Cincinnati Enquirer 9 May 14/1 He got a motor for the corn sheller and *feed chopper. 1916 H. L. Wilson Somewhere in Red Gap vii. 304 Rex II [beagle] didn't get in till next day and looked like he'd come through a feed chopper. |
| 1838 Civil Engin. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 237/2 The whole circle of pipes and vessels described, is supplied with water from the *feed cistern. 1967 Gloss. Sanitation Terms (B.S.I.) 14 Feed cistern, a cistern for supplying cold water to a hot water system. |
| 1833 B. Silliman Man. Sugar Cane 56 It is drawn up into the vacuum pans..by the *feed cocks. 1883 W. C. Russell Sailors' Lang. 49 Feed-cock, a cock near the bottom of a marine boiler for regulating the supply of water to the boiler. |
| 1909 Westm. Gaz. 27 Aug. 2/3 Barley..or other meal, which..form so large a factor in the *feed consumption of this country. |
| 1891 Daily News 14 May 5/1 ‘*Feed’ crops. |
| 1881 Knight Dict. Mech. IV. 527/2 *Feed-crusher, a mill for flattening grain to render it more easily masticated. |
| 1874 Ibid. I. 829/1 *Feed-cutter. 1883 E. Ingersoll in Harper's Mag. Jan. 207/1 He grinds all day at the feed-cutter. |
| 1961 Observer 28 May 33/2 Its [sc. a sewing-machine's] *feed-dog tended to cockle nylon. 1961 Which? Nov. 285/1 Normally the feed dog feeds material directly towards or away from you. |
| 1892 P. Benjamin Mod. Mech. 284 Power developed without *feed-heating. |
| 1874 J. W. Long Amer. Wild-Fowl Shooting 37 A quick loading flask, i.e., one having a large *feed-hole to the charger, should also be used. 1892 Cooley's Cycl. Pract. Receipts I. 300/2 Another complete but empty hive with open feed-hole, placed below an over-full one. |
| 1961 C. H. Douglas-Todd Pop. Whippet iii. 37 It [sc. the kennel-building] must incorporate the *feed-house..and the room.. where all the ‘paper work’..may be carried out. |
| 1889 Las Cruces (New Mex.) News 16 Nov., [The new lower rate] allows Kansas feeders to ship from this territory or Arizona to their *feed lots. 1911 H. Quick Yellowstone Nights vi. 165 Two boys..had met in Allen's feed-lot to fight a duel. 1964 Punch 25 Nov. 807/1 They're..unlikely to..nest in electric fences, feedlots and barbed wire. |
| 1884 Milnor (Dakota) Teller 13 June, A Steam *Feed-Mill..to grind all kinds of Feed. |
| 1829 Nat. Philos. (Useful Knowl. Soc.) Hydraulics ii. 13 The stop-valve, covering the top of the *feed-pipe. 1839 R. S. Robinson Naut. Steam Eng. 59 At the end of each feed pipe is a cock. |
| 1849–50 Weale Dict. Terms 182/2 *Feed-pipe cocks, those used to regulate the supply of water to the boiler of a locomotive engine. |
| Ibid., *Feed-pipe strainer, or strum, a perforated, half-spherical piece of sheet iron..placed over the open end of the feed-pipe. |
| 1839 R. S. Robinson Naut. Steam. Eng. 109 The engine supplies itself with water by a pump communicating with the hot well, called a *feed pump. 1854 Ronalds & Richardson Chem. Technol. (ed. 2) I. 273 A small working cylinder..can be placed upon the top of the boiler to work the grate and the feed-pump. |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. I. 830/2 *Feed-rack, a stock-feeding device with grain-trough and hay-rack under shelter, which sometimes is extended to the stock also. |
| 1836 Ure Cotton Manuf. II. 17 The willowed cotton..is carried forward..to the *feed-rollers [of the blowing machine]. |
| 1877 H. C. Hodge Arizona 154 Tucson has..four *feed and livery stables. 1902 O. Wister Virginian ii. 13, I took its dimensions, twenty-nine buildings in all,—..one feed stable, and..others. |
| 1910 W. M. Raine B. O'Connor 106 Jay Hardman's place, a tumble-down *feed-station on the edge of town. |
| 1856 Porter's Spirit of Times 4 Oct. 74/3 But a few years since our whole supplies of bread and *feed-stuffs [in Calif.] were drawn from abroad. 1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny ix. 157 There was a feedstuff famine in Mexico. 1957 Times 2 Dec. p. ii/3 the post-war period..until 1953 when feedstuffs were derationed. 1969 Daily Tel. 18 Dec. 18/1 The animal feedstuffs market. |
| 1879 Chicago Tribune 14 May 7/4 The *feed-yards in Chicago are extensive. 1911 H. Quick Yellowstone Nights iv. 109 One, two, three farmsteads we passed, with its white house hidden in trees, low hog⁓houses, its feed yards. |
7. Special combinations:
feed-apron = feed-cloth;
feed-bed, (
a) a feeding place (of rats); (
b) the level surface along which the supply passes to the machine;
feed-block (see
quot. 1902);
feed-board, a board on a printing machine to hold sheets of paper fed to the machine;
feed check valve (also
feed check ellipt.), a valve placed between the feed-pipe and the boiler, to prevent return of feed-water;
feed-cloth, a revolving cloth which carries the cotton or other fibre into a spinning, carding or other machine;
feed collector (see
quot.);
feed-door, the door through which the furnace is supplied with fuel; the furnace door;
feed-floor U.S., a floor off which cattle, etc., can eat food;
feed-ˈforward [after
feedback], (
a) the use of calculated or presumed future states of a process to provide criteria for its adjustment or control; anticipatory control; (
b) the modification of the output signal of a circuit by a part of the input signal that has not passed through the circuit;
feed gear, the mechanism of feed-motion;
feed-hand (see
quot.);
feed-head, (
a) a cistern of water for supplying the boiler from above; (
b)
Founding (see
quot. 1874);
feed-heater = feed-water-heater;
feed horn, a horn-shaped section of waveguide mounted in front of an aerial and used to direct a signal into it for transmission or to receive a detected signal from it;
feed-motion, a contrivance for giving a forward movement to material in a machine;
feed-mouth = feed-door;
feed-rod = feeding-rod;
feed-room U.S. and
N.Z., a room in which food for animals is stored;
feed-screw (see
quot.);
feedstock orig. U.S., ‘raw material supplied to a machine or processing plant (as pulpwood to a paper mill)’ (Webster 1961); also
transf.;
feed-strip, a cartridge belt for a machine gun;
feed-table, a table indicating the food values of fodders;
feed-tank,
-trough, a tank or trough containing a supply of water for a locomotive; a supply trough; also, a tank containing drinking-water;
U.S. a trough in which food for animals is placed;
feed-tub, the supply vessel of an evaporator;
feed-wheel (see
quot.);
feed-wire = feeder 10. Also
feed-water.
| 1836 Ure Cotton Manuf. II. 16 The *feed-apron is about eight feet long. |
| 1899 J. Southward Mod. Printing iii. ix. 108 The *feed board rises, the lays drop, and the grippers take the sheet. 1917 R. A. Peddie Outl. Hist. Printing 33 These machines print single sheets on both sides during their traverse from the feed⁓board to the delivery board. 1967 Karch & Buber Offset Processes ix. 372 The back paper-feed control..lever..permits the paper to feed on to the feedboard. |
| 1876 Forest & Stream 7 Dec. 278/3 We shortly espy a ‘*feed-bed’ in the edge of the marsh. 1889 Pall Mall G. 15 Oct. 7/1 Each letter in its passage along the feed-bed of the machine strikes a lever. |
| 1895 H. T. Lukin Maxim Machine Gun 11 What keeps the extractor at its highest until the cartridge is drawn from the *feed block? Ibid. 21 When loading for rapid fire, the crank handle is turned over to buffer spring twice and the belt is pulled through the feed block. 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 401/2 The feed-block through which the belt of cartridges is fed to the gun. 1928 C. F. S. Gamble N. Sea Air Station xvi. 295 A left-hand feed-block, which was instantly interchangeable with the right-hand feed-block. |
| 1895 Daily News 17 Dec. 3/5 To repair *feed check valve. 1908 Westm. Gaz. 25 Apr. 2/3 Off they went into the stokehole, where the Third put two of them to mind the feed-checks. |
| 1836 Ure Cotton Manuf. II. 16 The..cotton is..spread upon the *feed⁓cloth of the cards. |
| 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXVI. 284/1 A horizontal cross-tube of square section, called a *feed collector, which extends the whole width of the [marine water⁓tube] boiler. |
| 1872 Rep. Vermont Board Agric. I. 635 The ore..is landed at the feed door of the furnace. 1881 Knight Dict. Mech. IV. 327/2 *Feed-door. |
| 1868 Rep. Iowa Agric. Soc. 1867 104 Put them [sc. hogs] in small yards with a good plank *feed-floor. |
| 1952 I. A. Richards in Cybernetics: Trans. of Eighth Conf., 1951 54 You have no doubt fed forward enough to see that what I am going to talk about from now on is *feed⁓forward. I am going to try to suggest its importance in describing how language works. 1961 E. J. Baghdady Lect. Commun. Syst. Theory xix. 505 The feedforward operation..can be extended so that the amplifier bridges two or more cascaded narrow-band limiters. 1963 Engineering 6 Dec. 726/3 Anticipatory (feed-forward) control predicts the effect of input variables on output variables by solving transfer equations. |
| 1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. 136 Feed, the amount or distance of the transverse of a lathe or other machine cutter taken transversely to the depth of the cut. The term is also applied to the *feed gear itself. 1895 Daily News 27 July 3/1 The torpedo boat destroyer Ferret, which broke down..owing to the defective working of her automatic feed gear. |
| 1874 Ibid. I. 829/2 *Feed-hand ..a rod by which intermittent rotation is imparted to a ratchet-wheel. |
| 1849–50 Weale Dict. Terms 182/2 *Feed head. 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. I. 829/2 Feed head..the metal above and exterior to the mold which flows into the latter as the casting contracts. |
| 1864 Webster, *Feed-heater. 1885 Marine Engineer 1 Apr. 14/2 Although with the same area exposed, the feed-heater must be heavier..yet area for area the feed-heater must be much more efficient. |
| 1952 Electronics May 126/3 The main beam from the scanner did not vary with *feed-horn rotation when the horn dimension was equal to three and to four-channel widths. 1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics vi. 293 Radio energy from the antenna enters the feed horns. |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. I. 830/1 *Feed-motion. |
| 1833 B. Silliman Man. Sugar Cane 34 An opening into the furnace, called the *feed-mouth, for the supply of fuel and the regulation of the fire, is left. |
| 1887 A. W. Tourgée Button's Inn 142 A great towel..hung inside the *feed⁓room door. 1923 ‘K. Mansfield’ Doves' Nest i, There it stayed..beside the feed-room door. 1939 ― Scrapbook 2 Every morning I went across to the feed-room where he cleaned father's boots. |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. I. 830/2 *Feed-screw (Lathe), a long screw employed to impart a regular motion to a tool-rest or to the work. |
| 1932 Boehtlingk et al. tr. Sachanen & Tilicheyev's Chem. & Tech. of Cracking viii. 330 The hot oil pump circulates the clean *feed stock from the base of the bubble tower through the heater. 1958 Times 15 July 4/6 The erection of the first plant producing gas for town use from oil feedstocks. 1963 Economist 28 Sept. 1140/2 These..techniques..extended to use petroleum feedstocks. 1969 New Scientist 30 Jan. 233/3 Para-xylene, an essential feedstock in the manufacture of polyester fibres. 1969 Sci. Jrnl. Mar. 25/2 A gas centrifuge designed to separate the lighter uranium-235 isotope from the bulk uranium-238 (in the form of gaseous uranium hexafluoride feedstock). 1969 Times 1 July 5/8 Molten rocks might occur and thus provide feedstock for volcanoes. |
| 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 404/2 The breech⁓block..driving a cartridge in front of it out of the *feed⁓strip. |
| 1886 C. Scott Sheep-farming 33 He can only examine the *feed tables..and guess at the quality of his own fodders. |
| 1886 Marine Engineer 1 Feb. 283 Storage-tanks..being connected by pipes to the small *feed-tanks situated above the boiler. 1923 Man. Seamanship (H.M.S.O.) II. 26 Fresh Water Service. The shipwright officer is responsible for this service (except supplies to the feed tanks). |
| 1845 A. Wiley in Indiana Mag. Hist. (1927) XXIII. 212 To come with their wagons, and grain, and hay, and *feed troughs and watering buckets. 1854 J. R. Bartlett Pers. Narr. Explor. Texas II. 12 All [the wagons] had to be provided with feedtroughs. 1867 Rep. Iowa Agric. Soc. (1868) 148 Our market is in the feed-troughs. 1889 G. Findlay Eng. Railway 108 A tender picks up water from the feed-trough while in motion. |
| 1878 Rep. Vermont Board Agric. 109 The *feed tub will be high enough for the sap to run from that to the evaporator. |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. I. 831/1 *Feed-wheel, a continuously or intermittingly revolving wheel or disk which carries forward an object or material. 1881 Ibid. IV. 363/1 A plate on the feed wheel holds up the coal when the box is again brought forward. |
| 1903 Work 1 Aug. 412/3 A *feed wire..will connect with the wires of the netting. |
▪ II. feed, v. (
fiːd)
Pa. tense and
pa. pple. fed. Forms:
inf. 1–2
fédan, (1
Northumb. foedan), 2
feden, 3
south. veden, 2, 5
feyde, 3–4
feode, 3–6
fede,
south. vede, 4–7
feede, 6
feade, 6–
feed.
pa. tense 1
fédde,
pa. pple. féded,
fédd;
pa. tense and pa. pple. 3–5
fedde, (3
feedd,
fad), 4
south. vedde, 4–5
feed, 9
dial. feeded, 4–
fed.
[OE. fédan = OFris. fêda, OSax. fôdean (Du. voeden), OHG. fuotan (MHG. vüeten), ON. fœ́ða (Da. föde, Sw. föda), Goth. fôdjan:—OTeut. *fôđjan, f. *fôđ-â-: see food.] 1. a. trans. To give food to; to supply with food; to provide food for. Often followed by
† of,
on,
with (a specified food).
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. vi. 26 Eower fæder se heofunlica foedeþ þa [heofun fuᵹlas]. c 1000 Ags. Ps. lxxx[i]. 1 b, He hi fedde mid fætre lynde hwæte. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 233 He us is..feder for he us fett. c 1205 Lay. 8944 He hine lette ueden..ær he him bi-uoren come. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 375 He..made yt al forest & lese, þe bestes vorto fede. c 1340 Cursor M. 13372 (Trin.) Þe folke..was fed of breed & flesshe. c 1450 Bk. Hawkyng in Rel. Ant. I. 296 Fede your hawke and sey not geve here mete. 1592 Davies Immort. Soul xvi. i. (1714) 71 The Body's Life with Meats and Air is fed. 1648 Sir E. Nicholas in N. Papers (Camden) 115 Seeke for some allowance..to feede us. 1714 Nelson Life Bp. Bull §76. 437 About sixty necessitous People..were fed with Meat. 1756–7 tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) II. 205 Gregory..was feeding twelve indigent men. 1798 Webbe in Owen Wellesley's Desp. 9, I doubt whether there are any well⁓grounded expectations that they could feed themselves. 1835 Ure Philos. Manuf. 394 The Leeds people are better fed. 1842 A. Combe Physiol. Digestion (ed. 4) 142 Dogs fed on oil or sugar..become diseased. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 314 It was not yet the practice to feed cattle in this manner. |
b. To suckle (young); in
OE. also
absol.| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxiv. 19 Wæ uutedlice ðæm berendum & foedendum in ðæm daᵹum. a 1300 Cursor M. 5640 (Cott.) Þis womman..It [þe childe] fedd til it cuth spek and gang. 1530 Palsgr. 547/1 This bytche fedeth her whelpes. 1821 R. Turner Arts & Sc. (ed. 18) 170 Pelias..was fed by a mare. 1888 Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk., Feed, to suckle. |
c. To put food into the mouth of (
e.g. a child, a sick person, a fowl).
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 152/2 Feede chyldryn wythe pappe mete, papo. 1611 Cotgr., Appasteler, to feed by hand, or with the hand; or, as a bird feeds her yong. 1638 Markham Farewell to Husbandry 162 The Bitter is ever best to be fed by the hand, because when you have fed him, you may tie his Beake together. 1748 W. Cadogan Ess. Nursing 19 A sucking Child should be fed..once with the Broth, and once with the Milk. 1872–4 L. Wright Poultry 79 The fowl when fed is..held with both hands under its breast. 1882 J. W. Anderson Med. Nursing iv. (1883) 73 A patient..will not have the feeding cup, and yet must be fed in some such way. 1893 H. D. Traill Social England I. Introd. 54 His meal might be served up to him on costly dishes, but he fed himself with his fingers. Mod. He is so weak that he cannot feed himself. |
d. To graze, pasture (cattle, sheep, etc.).
| 1382 Wyclif Gen. xxxvii. 13 Thi britheren feden [1388 kepen, 1611 feed] sheep in Sichemys. 1757 Home Douglas ii. i, My name is Norval; on the Grampian Hills My father feeds his flocks. |
e. feed-the-dove. A Christmas game mentioned in
Brand's Pop. Antiq. I. 278.
f. In slang
phr. to feed the bears, to receive a ticket or pay a fine for a traffic offence: see
bear n.1 1 e.
orig. and chiefly
U.S.| 1975 Heavy Duty Trucking May 33/2 Don't feed any of them cotton-pickin' bears there, guy. 1976 CB Mag. June 83/2 Truckers say warning each other of speed traps is their only defense against having to ‘feed the bears’ or collect a ticket from Smokey. 1980 S. Braithwaite CB in GB 29 Feed the bears, get a speeding ticket. |
2. fig. of 1. Const. as above.
a. simply;
esp. in spiritual sense.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 57 Seo saul, ᵹif heo ne bið mid Godes worde feded. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 215 Eche heȝe dai [þe hodede sholde] fede mid godes worde þe hungrie soule. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 500 Þe soule is fedde wiþ charite. 1435 Misyn Fire of Love 58 Chosyn sawlis..with heuenly likynge is feed. 1579 Fulke Heskins' Parl. 274 A spirituall meate, to feede vs into eternall life. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 767 He grinds his Teeth In his own Flesh, and feeds approaching Death. 1882 E. P. Hood in Leisure Hour Apr. 225 The logic of satire has often been fed on fear. |
b. To gratify, minister to the demands of (a person's vanity, desire of vengeance, or other passion); to sustain or comfort (a person) with (usually, fallacious) hopes.
Cf. food v.
† to feed forth, up (earlier
to food forth): to beguile, keep (one) quiet, with flattery, etc.;
= amuse v. 4, 6.
| c 1400 Rom. Rose 5428 She [Fortune]..fedith hym with glorie veyne. 1475 Bk. Noblesse (1860) 53 The said maister..fedde hem forthe withe sportis and plaies tille [etc.]. 1530 Palsgr. 547/1 You haue fedde me forthe with fayre wordes longe ynoughe. 1577 J. Northbrooke Dicing (1843) 141 [He]..so continueth feeding himselfe with looking for the chaunge of the dice. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iv. i. 65 To feed my humor, wish thy selfe no harme. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. i. i. Wks. 1856 I. 76 This morne my vengeance shall be amply fed. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks 656 Craftily feeding him with the hope of libertie. Ibid. (1621) 114 Feeding him up with faire words. 1666 Temple Let. to Bp. of Munster Wks. 1731 II. 15 He seems to feed himself and his Friend with the Hopes of a speedy Peace. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 66 a, Others, feeding themselves with great hopes of times to come. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Wealth Wks. (Bohn) II. 73 All that can feed the senses and passions..is in the open market. |
c. in phrases,
to feed one's eyes, to feed one's sight. Also, of the tongue,
to feed the ear.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. vii. 4 In his lappe a masse of coyne he told, And turned upside downe, to feede his eye..with his huge threasury. 1625 Bacon Ess., Masques, The Alteration of Scenes..feed and relieue the Eye. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1638) 159, I found few [monuments] to feed my eyes upon. 1641 J. Jackson True Evang. T. i. 26 He fed his eyes by being a spectator of those wickednesses. 1738 Wesley Hymns, ‘Who's this, who like the Morning’ ii, His Tongue the Ear with Musick feeds. 1813 Scott Trierm. iii. xix, The knight With these high marvels fed his sight. |
† d. to feed with money: to bribe.
Obs.| 1567 J. Hawkyns Let. Sir W. Cecil in State P. Dom. Eliz. 44. 13 They were by the Merchaunts fedd soe plentefully with mony. 1580 North Plutarch (1676) 190 Anytus was the first that fed the Judges with Money. |
3. a. intr. (rarely
† refl. in same sense). To take food; to eat. Of persons now only
colloq. Const. as in 1.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 19 Þe corn..þerof þe colver ofte schulde fede hym self. 1486 Bk. St. Albans C viij a, She fedith on all maner of flesh. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 5 b, The shale of the nut to be broken that he may fede of the cornell. 1556 Aurelio & Isab. (1608) N, Of hir delicate fleshe they [the Lions] fedde them. 1635 N. R. Camden's Hist. Eliz. ii. 130 He fed hard at supper on sallats. 1703 Pope Thebais 686 Devouring dogs..Fed on his trembling limbs. 1719 De Foe Crusoe (1840) I. x. 173 It was a good while before they [kids] would feed. 1757 Chesterfield Lett. IV. cccxxii. 96 Go pretty often and feed with him. 1834 M{supc}Murtrie Cuvier's Anim. Kingd. 145 The ostrich feeds on grass. 1850 L. Hunt Autobiog. II. xvii. 252, I did wrong at that time not to ‘feed better’. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. i. (1889) 8 No one feeds at the high table except the dons. |
b. transf. to feed on (a person): to live at his expense.
| 1733 Pope Ess. Man iii. 61 All feed on one vain patron. |
c. fig.| 1540 Cranmer Wks. I. 25 Many holy martyrs..did daily feed of the food of Christs body. 1581 Sidney Apol. Poetrie (Arb.) 20 Whose milk..enabled them to feed..of tougher knowledges. 1599 Warn. Faire Wom. ii. 1380 The people's eyes have fed them with my sight. 1612 Rowlands Knaue of Harts 29 On others miseries and woes, I feede. 1768 W. Gilpin Ess. Prints 10 The eye..may be pleased..by feeding on the parts separately. 1769 Sir W. Jones Pal. Fortune Poems (1777) 16 Grant me to feed on beauty's rifled charms. 1827 Pollok Course T. ix, Disappointment fed on ruined Hope. 1883 Standard 20 July 5/1 Cholera feeds upon impurities of every sort. |
4. trans. To yield or produce food for; to be, or serve as, food for (
lit. and
fig.).
to feed the fishes: see also
fish n.1 1 c.
| a 1300 Sarmun li. in E.E.P. (1862) 6 Þe siȝte of god him sal fede. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 26 Suche is the delicacie Of love, which min herte fedeth. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 38 b, Fodder..very good to feede both cattel & Poultrye. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 28 One Acre of this Grass will feed you as many Cows as six Acres of other common Grass. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 812 The Water-Snake, whom Fish and Paddocks fed. 1891 Farmer Slang II, To feed the fishes, to be drowned. |
| absol. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 23 The air feeds not. |
5. a. To supply with nourishment; to nourish, cause to grow, support, sustain.
| a 1000 Boeth. Metr. xxix. 70 (Gr.) Se..metod..fet eall þætte groweð wæstmas on weorolde. a 1300 Seven Sins 33 in E.E.P. (1862) 19 Is fule bodi fede mid is siluir and is gold. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iv. ix. (1495) 93 By the benefyce of blode al the lymmes of the body preuayle and be fedde. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1077 A mountain-spring that feeds a dale. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. ii. 486 Be mindful..With Store of Earth around to feed the Root. 1719 Watts Hymns i. xlviii, God..feeds the strength of every Saint. 1759 tr. Duhamel's Husb. i. i. (1762) 3 The trees had been fed by other roots. 1784 Cowper Task iii. 662 Some [flowers] clothe the soil that feeds them. 1801 Southey Thalaba i. xxii, The ebony..A leafless tree..With darkness feeds its boughs of raven grain. 1837 Disraeli Venetia i. ii, A rich valley, its green meads fed by a clear and rapid stream. |
| fig. 1626 Bacon Sylva §114 Musick feedeth that disposition of the Spirits which it findeth. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 132 Poetry feeds and waters the passions. |
† b. To nurture, bring up.
Obs.| c 1320 Sir Tristr. 287 Fiftene ȝere he gan him fede. c 1400 Destr. Troy 623 Your-selfe..þe fresshist and fairest fed vpon erthe. |
6. a. To fill with food, to pamper; to fatten, make fleshy;
occas. of the food.
dial. to feed (full and) high,
to feed up: to supply or obtain with rich and abundant food.
| 1552 Huloet, Feade fatte in a francke or penne, altilis. Feade full, saburratus. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 79 This choice [the Steere] is altogether exempted from labour, and fed up for food. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 319 Feed him full and high. 1788 W. Marshall Yorksh. Gloss., ‘I mean to feed him,’ I intend to fat him. 1823 J. Badcock Dom. Amusem. 62 A small dog..not to be fed too high. 1877 N.W. Linc. Gloss. s.v., He feeds five-an'-twenty steers every summer. 1886 S.W. Linc. Gloss. s.v., Milk will feed anything quicker than water. 1913 W. Owen Let. 23 Apr. (1967) 185 Congratulations on the success of your feeding me up. ― Let. 6 Nov. 207 Began to ‘feed up’ today, but the difficulty is tremendous; i.e. of getting foods. a 1951 J. K. Ewers in Austral. Short Stories (1951) 335 I'll just help Larry feed up. |
| fig. 1596–1620 [see fat a. 2 c]. 1874 Motley Barneveld I. vii. 323 He remained in Paris,—feeding fat the grudge he bore to Barneveld. |
b. to feed off: to fatten (an animal) for sale or slaughter.
| 1852 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XIII. i. 224 The owner..feeds off a large number of sheep..annually. 1854 Ibid. XV. i. 112 The hoggets are..fed off before New Year. |
c. fig. † With
on adv.: To encourage the growth of (
obs.).
to feed into: to bring into by pampering. Also, (
Theat. slang)
to feed a part: to fill it out by the addition of details or incidents of minor importance; also,
trans. and intr., to supply another character with cues. (
Cf. feeder 11,
feed n. 5 d.)
| 1580 North Plutarch (1676) 91 Publicola..was very diligent..to feed on further and encrease the same [sedition]. 1843 Carlyle Past & Pr. (1858) 95 Fed into gigantic bulk. 1892 Pall Mall G. 22 Dec. 2/3 After this, endless complications all centreing on Mr. Penley—feeding the part would be the stage term. 1921 N. B. Tarkington Let. 21 Apr. (1959) 55 I've built it..craftily..so that the part isn't ever visibly ‘fed’. 1929 [see feed n. 5 d]. 1929 D. G. Mackail How Amusing 66 I've had laughs I've earned, and laughs the other fellow's earned by my feeding him. 1968 Listener 11 July 59/3 The rest of the cast loll around, feeding the soloist with helpful questions. |
† d. To give ‘body’ to (a liquor).
Obs.| 1667 Dryden Wild Gallant v. iii, Your vintners feed their hungry wines. 1742 Lond. & Country Brew. i. (ed. 4) Pref., Receipts for feeding, fining, and preserving Malt-Liquors. |
e. Tanning. To give ‘substance’ to. Also,
intr. of the leather: To gain substance; to thicken.
| 1882 J. Paton in Encycl. Brit. XIV. 389/2 The [kid] skins are..‘fed’ with yolk of eggs and salt. 1884 Health Exhib. Catal. 38 This rest allows the leather to ‘feed’. |
f. intr. To grow fat.
dial.| 1727 Bailey vol. II, Feeding..growing in Flesh by eating. 1796 W. Marshall Midland Counties Gloss., Feed, to grow fat. 1877 N.W. Linc. Gloss. s.v., I nivver seed onybody feed like ―. |
g. Football, etc. To give a pass to.
| 1889 Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang s.v., To feed, to support. 1897 Encycl. Sport I. 417/2 The way in which he can aid his side in attacking is by passing to, or, as it is called, feeding his forwards. |
h. slang. trans. and intr. To tire or bore (
cf. fed pa. pple.).
| 1933 G. Heyer Why shoot a Butler? iii. 47 Anyone can have the super motor boat as far as I'm concerned. Joan, too. She bars it completely, which feeds Brother Basil stiff. 1940 M. Marples Pub. Sch. Slang 77 ‘It's feeding, isn't it?’ (i.e. calculated to make one fed-up). |
i. To accompany (a musician,
esp. a jazz musician);
spec. to play accompanying chords for (a jazz soloist); also, to provide (an accompaniment.)
colloq. (
orig. U.S.).
| 1949 L. Feather Inside Be-Bop ii. 59 The guitar..is employed like the piano to ‘feed’ or ‘bop’ the soloists by ‘comping’ with irregularly accented chords. 1955 in M. Stearns Story of Jazz (1957) xviii. 237 Lennie feeds his chords off the beat by use of irregular accents. 1958 P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz xii. 140 The pianist fed a progression of relevant chords in a manner which gave the soloist the greatest impetus. |
7. a. To keep (a reservoir, watercourse, etc.) supplied; to supply (a fire, etc.) with fuel.
| 1582 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford 426 Water cowrses..to feede youre pondes. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iii. ii. 266, I haue ingag'd..my friend to his meere enemie To feede my meanes. 1611 ― Cymb. i. vi. 110 The smoakie light That's fed with stinking Tallow. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 68 A fiery Deluge, fed With ever-burning Sulphur unconsum'd. 1705 Addison Italy 274 The warm Springs that feed the..Baths. 1758 Elaboratory laid open 8 This manner of feeding the fire will be found a very great convenience. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. vi, The mob fed the fire with whatever they could find. 1869 E. A. Parkes Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 319 Cisterns at the top of every barrack should feed the ablution rooms. 1875 Lyell Princ. Geol. II. iii. xlix. 608 Islands..large enough to feed small rivers. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 428 Cisterns..were fed..by the aqueduct of which they formed the termination. |
b. To supply (a machine, a workman) continuously with material to work upon. Also
intr. of the material: To pass in (to a mill).
| 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 51 The Corn feeds not until you set the same [Engine] down again. Ibid. 52 In case you drive apace it feeds apace. 1707 Mortimer Husb. 277 The breadth of the bottom of which [hopper] must be..near as long as the Rowlers, that it may not feed them too fast. 1808 J. Barlow Columb. ii. 503 She..fed The turning spindle with the twisting thread. 1879 Geo. Eliot Theo. Such xvii. 302 Each new machine needs a new appliance of human skill to construct it, new devices to feed it with material. 1891 Farmer Slang II, To feed the Press, to send up copy slip by slip. 1961 [see damp a. 4]. 1969 Guardian 18 Nov. 13/1 It is still cheaper to feed the meters (illegally) all day than pay the high price of off-street parking. |
| absol. 1676 Beal in Phil. Trans. XI. 584 Two ordinary Labourers..(the one feeding, and the other grinding). |
c. To relay or supply electrical signals or power to,
esp. as part of a larger network or system.
| 1894 A. T. Snell Electric Motor Power iv. 137 They..feed the distributing network with current at a pressure of about 100 volts. 1952 E. A. Laport Radio Antenna Engin. ii. 132 It is necessary to feed each line with the potential that will transmit the proper amount of power down each line. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. XI. 251/2 Along the route there are Bell system offices, which feed local stations. |
8. a. To cause to be eaten by cattle; to use (land) as pasture. Often with complementary
adj. or
adv. to feed bare,
feed close,
feed down,
feed off.
| a 1651 Sir Richard Weston in Hartlib's Legacy (1655) 242 You may then feed the ground with Cattel all the Winter, as you do other ground. Ibid. 243 As it springs again, feed it with Cattel. 1652 Arnold Beati in Hartlib's Legacy (1655) 139 It is very easie, by mowing or feeding it [corn] down with Cattel, to prevent it. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 23 As soon as you have fed it bare, then is it best to over-flow. Ibid. 28 The best Husbandry is to graze it, or feed it [grass] in Racks. 1707 Mortimer Husb. 29 Take care to feed it [the grass] close before the Winter. 1807 R. Parkinson Experienced Farmer I. 409 If he cannot feed it [Buck-wheat] off with some cattle. 1850 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XI. ii. 430 The crop being well grown, it only remains to feed it well off. |
b. To deal out (food)
to animals. Also with
out, and with ellipsis of indirect object. Similarly, to supply (food)
to (a person, etc.).
| 1818 in Trans. Ill. State Hist. Soc. 1910 158 They either have to feed out their corn or their cattle get very poor. 1852 Trans. Mich. Agric. Soc. III. 145, I feed almost every thing, hay, oats, straw, [etc.]. 1868 Rep. Iowa Agric. Soc. 1867 148 Corn is husked and cribbed and fed out to stock. 1883 P. E. Gibbons in Harper's Mag. Apr. 652/1 Mangel⁓wurzel..is fed to the cows in winter. 1893 K. D. Wiggin in Atlantic Monthly Feb. 184/1 He has been feeding bread and butter to the dog. 1904 Grand Rapids Even. Press 2 June 3 The professor..fed snake sandwiches to his college class at a party. 1911 R. W. Chambers Common Law viii. 237 Rita..fed them bits of cassava and crumbs of cake. 1946 Harper's Mag. Oct. 311/1 Now and then my father would have to borrow money to ‘feed-out’ the steers. 1961 New Eng. Bible Matt. vii. 6 Do not feed your pearls to pigs. |
c. transf. (
Cf. 7.) To supply continuously (material to be consumed or operated upon). Also,
to feed down: to bring (a tool) down, gradually as required.
| 1860 Piesse Lab. Chem. Wonders 82 Gold is fed into a vessel containing aqua regia. 1864 Webster s.v. Drill-press, The tool B rotates and is fed down by hand or automatically. 1869 Eng. Mech. 19 Mar. 574/1 The wood is fed to the saw by means of a..roller. 1881 Knight Dict. Mech. IV. 744/2 The string..is fed from a tin canister. 1883 H. Tuttle in Harper's Mag. Nov. 824/2 The wet sand..is fed into the opening. 1884 W. H. Rideing ibid. May 895/1 Long..tubes..feed them to exquisitely adjusted scales. |
† d. Stock-exchange. To deal
out (stock) in portions.
Obs.| 1814 Stock Exchange Laid Open 28 Feeding out stock to less dealers. |
e. to feed back (
Electr. and
Cybernetics): (
i) to return (a fraction of an output signal) to an input of the same or a preceding stage of the circuit, device, process, etc., that produced it. Also
transf. Chiefly in
pass. (
Cf. feedback.)
| 1921 Wireless World 10 Dec. 571/2 The magnified oscillations are fed back again into the grid circuit. 1940 Nature 7 Sept. 321/2 The pencil draws a curve and after an interval the information expressed by this curve is fed back to the machine. 1952 New Biol. XIII. 54 Information about this error must be ‘fed-back’ into the machine and cause it to alter its condition in such a direction as will diminish the error. 1960 O. Skilbeck Film & TV Terms 52 Part of an amplifier's own output may be deliberately fed back to reduce inherent sound distortion. |
(
ii) In
transf. sense also used
intr. of a result or effect of a process: to return as feedback; to affect or modify the process that brought it about.
| 1940 Amateur Radio Handbk. (ed. 2) iv. 65/2 Care should be taken..so that no output of this I.F. beat oscillator feeds back to the input of the I.F. amplifier. 1945 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. CCXL. 266 The y-shaft is driven by the output of integrator II and feeds back to drive the input of the function unit. 1960 R. W. Marks Dymaxion World of B. Fuller 23/2 Since the benefits keep feeding back into the system, such techno-economic patterns are infinitely regenerative. 1964 M. A. K. Halliday et al. Linguistic Sci. x. 275 The experience from the teaching of English to foreign learners is feeding back..to the teaching profession in Britain. 1966 Rep. Comm. Inquiry Univ. Oxf. I. 56 There are also advances in social studies, at postgraduate level, that are likely to feed back into undergraduate work. |
f. intr. to feed through, to produce an effect elsewhere; to have consequences,
esp. in the economy. Const.
in,
into, or
to.
| [1975 Business Week 3 Nov. 25/2 When the cycle bottoms out, a slackening in the pace of inventory liquidation..involves a boost in orders, production and employment—elements that feed through the economy.] 1979 Economist 24 Nov. 98/1 Not all of that [sc. inflation] will feed through, because raw materials and fuel make up only part of industry's costs. 1981 Economist 7 Feb. 64 The J-curve effect of West Germany's devaluation against the dollar should soon start to feed through in higher export volumes. 1982 Ibid. 27 Nov. 36/2 The results..suggested that the trade balance in manufactured goods would initially improve by {pstlg}540m if devaluation did not feed through to higher wages. 1983 Times 16 Feb. 14/5 The increase in the speculative metals was led by gold, and it fed through into copper. Ibid. 14 Mar. 11/6 There is bound to be some time lag before the results feed through. |
9. a. Of cattle: To eat, eat off, feed upon. Also,
to feed down, off.
| 1725 Pope Odyss. iv. 452 A tim'rous hind..feeds the flow'ry lawns. 1858 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XIX. i. 206 The fifty-two cows had..more than they could feed down. 1883 Jefferies Nature near London 237 The sheep have fed it too close for a grip of the hand. 1891 West. Morn. News 14 Sept., A crop of swedes..is again fed off by sheep. |
b. to feed down: to eat off the food of.
| 1887 Pall Mall G. 20 Oct. 13/2 ‘Bunny’..feeds down the sheep. |
▪ III. feed, ppl. a. (
fiːd)
[f. fee v. + -ed1.] † 1. Bound to feudal service. Only in
feed man: see
feedman.
Obs. 2. Paid by fees; hired; bribed;
Sc. employed for wages.
| 1579 Fulke Heskins' Parl. 389 One of the feeid and fed seruants of y⊇ Pope. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. i. v. 303, I am no feede poast, Lady; keepe your purse. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. iv. i. Wks. 1856 I. 117 When will the Duke hold feed Intelligence? 1628 Venner Baths of Bathe (1650) 363 Such are his fee'd Agents. 1709 Lond. Gaz. No. 4562/4 [He] is Brother-in-Law to John Herstone of the Feed Gunners belonging to the Office of Ordnance. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xxxviii, She's no a fee'd servant. 1887 Pall Mall G. 2 Mar. 11/4 One of the fee'd speakers. |
▪ IV. feed obs. Sc. form of
feud n.1, enmity.