Word Study
wed
CIDE DICTIONARY
wed, n. [AS. wedd; akin to OFries. wed, OD. wedde, OHG, wetti, G. wette a wager, Icel. ve a pledge, Sw. vad a wager, an appeal, Goth. wadi a pledge, Lith. vad to redeem (a pledge), LL. vadium, L. vas, vadis, bail, security, vadimonium security, and Gr. , a prize. Cf. Athlete, Gage a pledge, Wage.].
A pledge; a pawn. Gower. Piers Plowman. [1913 Webster]
"Let him be ware, his neck lieth to wed [i. e. , for a security]." [1913 Webster]
wed, v. t. [OE. wedden, AS. weddian to covenant, promise, to wed, marry; akin to OFries. weddia to promise, D. wedden to wager, to bet, G. wetten, Icel. ve, Dan. vedde, Sw. vädja to appeal, Goth. gawadj to betroth. See Wed, n. ].
- To take for husband or for wife by a formal ceremony; to marry; to espouse. [1913 Webster]"With this ring I thee wed." [1913 Webster]"I saw thee first, and wedded thee." [1913 Webster]
- To join in marriage; to give in wedlock. [1913 Webster]"And Adam, wedded to another Eve,
Shall live with her." [1913 Webster] - Fig.: To unite as if by the affections or the bond of marriage; to attach firmly or indissolubly. [1913 Webster]"Thou art wedded to calamity." [1913 Webster]"Men are wedded to their lusts." [1913 Webster]"[Flowers] are wedded thus, like beauty to old age." [1913 Webster]
- To take to one's self and support; to espouse. [1913 Webster]"They positively and concernedly wedded his cause." [1913 Webster]
wed, v. i.
To contact matrimony; to marry. Shak. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
wed, v.tr. & intr. (wedding; past and past part. wedded or wed)
1 usu. formal or literary a tr. & intr. marry. b tr. join in marriage.
2 tr. unite (wed efficiency to economy).
3 tr. (as wedded adj.) of or in marriage (wedded bliss).
4 tr. (as wedded adj.) (foll. by to) obstinately attached or devoted (to a pursuit etc.).
1 usu. formal or literary a tr. & intr. marry. b tr. join in marriage.
2 tr. unite (wed efficiency to economy).
3 tr. (as wedded adj.) of or in marriage (wedded bliss).
4 tr. (as wedded adj.) (foll. by to) obstinately attached or devoted (to a pursuit etc.).
Etymology
OE weddian to pledge f. Gmc
THESAURUS
wed
affiliate, ally, apply, arrange a match, associate, band together, be in cahoots, be made one, be spliced, become one, bind, bracket, bunch, bunch up, cabal, catch, cement a union, centralize, club, club together, combine, come together, confederate, conjoin, connect, consociate, conspire, contract matrimony, correlate, couple, draw a parallel, equate, espouse, federalize, federate, gang, gang up, get hitched, give away, go in partners, go in partnership, hitch, hook up with, identify, intermarry, interrelate, interwed, join, join forces, join fortunes with, join together, join up with, join with, league, link, make a match, make one, marry, match, mate, miscegenate, nuptial, organize, pair, pair off, parallel, parallelize, partner, relate, relativize, remarry, rewed, splice, stand together, stand up with, take to wife, team up with, team with, throw in with, tie, tie in with, tie up with, unionize, unite, unite in marriage, unite with, wive, yokeROGET THESAURUS
wed
Marriage
VB marry, wive, take to oneself a wife, be married, be spliced, go off, pair off, wed, espouse, get hitched, lead to the hymeneal altar, take 'for better for worse', give one's hand to, bestow one's hand upon, marry, join, handfast, couple, tie the nuptial knot, give away, give away in marriage, seal, ally, affiance, betroth, publish the banns, bid the banns, be asked in church.For further exploring for "wed" in Webster Dictionary Online
