bed

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See also B.Ed., BED, and beð

Contents

English[edit]

A bed (furniture)

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English bed, bedde, from Old English bedd (“bed, couch, resting-place; garden-bed, plot”), from Proto-Germanic *badją (“bed”), perhaps (if originally "dug sleeping-place") from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to dig”). Cognate with Scots bed, bede (“bed”), North Frisian baad, beed (“bed”), West Frisian bêd (“bed”), Low German Bedd, Dutch bed (“bed”), German Bett (“bed”), Danish bed, Swedish bädd (“bed”), Icelandic beður (“bed”), and (through Proto-Indo-European, if the above etymology is correct) with Ancient Greek βοθυρος (bothuros, “pit”), Latin fossa (“ditch”), Latvian bedre (“hole”), Welsh bedd (“grave”), Breton bez (“grave”); and probably also Russian бодать (bodat').

The traditional etymology as a derivation from the Proto-Indo-European verb for 'to dig' has been doubted, arguing that there are (allegedly) few, if any, cultures known to dig out beds, rather than to build "pads". However, what the Germanic word originally referred to is not known with precision, and it notably has the additional meaning "flower-bed, plot" (preserved in English and several other modern Germanic languages, but present in older stages as well; in Modern German, two separate words exist as the result of a paradigm split: Bett, specialised to the meaning "(human) sleeping-place", is a back-formation from the Old High German genitive bettes, while Beet, specialised to the meaning "flower-bed, garden plot", continues the Old High German nominative/accusative beti), which fits the traditional derivation. Perhaps the word originally referred to dug sleeping-places of animals, compare (with the inverse semantic development) lair from Old English leġer (“couch, bed”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

bed (plural beds)

  1. A piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, to sleep on.
    My cat often sleeps on my bed.
    I keep a glass of water next to my bed when I sleep.
  2. (uncountable, usually after a preposition) Sleep; rest; getting to sleep.
    He's been afraid of bed since he saw the scary film.
  3. (usually after a preposition) One's place of sleep or rest.
    Go to bed!
    I had breakfast in bed this morning.
  4. (usually after a preposition) The time for going to sleep or resting in bed.
    I read until bed.
  5. (uncountable) Time spent in a bed.
    • 1903, Thomas Stretch Dowse, Lectures on massage and electricity in the treatment of disease, page 276:
      I am quite sure that too much bed, if not too much sleep, is prejudicial, though a certain amount is absolutely necessary.
    • 1907, Jabez Spencer Balfour, My prison life, page 181:
      Some prisoners, indeed, are always up before the bell rings — such was my practice — they prefer to grope about in the dark to tossing about in the utter weariness of too much bed.
    • 1972, James Verney Cable, Principles of medicine: an integrated textbook for nurses:
      This condition is one of the dangers of "too much bed". The nurse should inspect the legs of each patient daily
  6. A prepared spot to spend the night in, as in camping bed.
    He made a bed to sleep in for the night from hay and a blanket.
  7. A garden plot, as in "bed of roses".
    We added a new rosebush to our rose bed.
    • 1907, Robert Chambers, chapter 5, The Younger Set[1]:
      Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume ; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of rose-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees ; … .
  8. The bottom of a lake or other body of water. [from later 16th c.]
    sea bed, river bed, lake bed
    There's a lot of trash on the bed of the river.
  9. An area where a large number of oysters, mussels, or other sessile shellfish is found.
    Oysters are farmed from their beds.
  10. A flat surface or layer on which something else is to be placed.
    The meats and cheeses lay on a bed of lettuce.
  11. A foundation or supporting surface formed of a fluid.
    A bed of concrete makes a strong subsurface for an asphalt parking lot.
  12. The platform of a truck, trailer, railcar, or other vehicle that supports the load to be hauled.
    The parcels were thrown onto the truck bed before transportation.
  13. A deposit of ore, coal etc.
  14. (geology) the smallest division of a geologic formation or stratigraphic rock series marked by well-defined divisional planes (bedding planes) separating it from layers above and below
  15. A shaped piece of timber to hold a cask clear of a ship’s floor; a pallet.
  16. A piece of music, normally instrumental, over which a Radio DJ talks.
  17. (uncountable) Sexual activity.
    Too much bed, not enough rest.
    Is he good in bed?

Usage notes[edit]

Sense 1. To prepare a bed is usually to "make" the bed, or (US, Southern) to "spread" the bed, the verb spread probably having been developed from bedspread. Like many nouns denoting places where people spend time, bed requires no article after certain prepositions: hence in bed (“lying in a bed”), go to bed (“get into a bed”), and so on. The forms in a bed, etc. do exist, but tend to imply mere presence in the bed, without it being for the purpose of sleep.

See also Appendix:MakeDoTakeHave

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from bed (noun)

Translations[edit]

piece of furniture
bed as general place or concept
prepared spot to spend the night in
garden plot
the bottom of a lake or other body of water
area where a large number of shellfish is found
flat surface or layer on which something else is to be placed
foundation or supporting surface
platform of a vehicle that supports the load
deposit of ore, coal etc.
geology: the smallest division of a geologic formation or stratigraphic rock series
shaped piece of timber to hold a cask clear — see pallet
piece of music over which a radio DJ talks
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb[edit]

bed (third-person singular simple present beds, present participle bedding, simple past and past participle bedded)

  1. To go to a sleeping bed.
  2. To put oneself to sleep.
  3. To settle, as machinery.
  4. To set in a soft matrix, as paving stones in sand, or tiles in cement.
  5. To set out plants in a garden bed.
  6. (slang) To have sexual intercourse with. [from early 14th c.]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

to go to a sleeping bed
to put oneself to sleep
to settle
to have sexual intercourse with

Statistics[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Afrikaans[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Dutch bed.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

bed (plural beddens)

  1. bed

Breton[edit]

Noun[edit]

bed m (plural bedoù)

  1. world

Danish[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From German Beet (“bed”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA: /bed/, [b̥eð]

Noun[edit]

bed n (singular definite bedet, plural indefinite bede)

  1. bed (a garden plot)
Inflection[edit]
    Inflection of bed
neuter gender Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative, dative and accusative bed bedet bede bedene
genitive beds bedets bedes bedenes

Etymology 2[edit]

See bide.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA: /beːd/, [b̥eðˀ]

Verb[edit]

bed

  1. past of bide

Etymology 3[edit]

See bede.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA: /beːd/, [b̥eðˀ]

Verb[edit]

bed

  1. imperative of bede

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Dutch bedde, from Old Dutch *beddi, *bet, from Proto-Germanic *badją. Compare Low German Bedd, German Bett, West Frisian bêd, English bed, Swedish bädd.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

bed n (plural bedden, diminutive bedje)

  1. bed

Derived terms[edit]

Kurdish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

bed

  1. bad (not good)


This Kurdish entry was created from the translations listed at bad. It may be less reliable than other entries, and may be missing parts of speech or additional senses. Please also see bed in the Kurdish Wiktionary. This notice will be removed when the entry is checked. (more information) April 2008

Lojban[edit]

Rafsi[edit]

bed

  1. rafsi of bende.

Old Irish[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

EB1911 - Volume 01 - Page 001 - 1.svg This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page as described here.

Verb[edit]

·bed

  1. third-person singular past subjunctive of at·tá
Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

EB1911 - Volume 01 - Page 001 - 1.svg This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page as described here.

Verb[edit]

bed

  1. third-person singular past subjunctive of is
  2. third-person singular imperative of is
  3. second-person plural imperative of is
  4. third-person singular conditional relative of is
Alternative forms[edit]
  • (3 sg. past subj.; 3 sg. and 2 pl. imperative): bad

Old Saxon[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *badją (“dug sleeping-place”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to dig”). Cognate with Old Frisian bed, Old English bedd, Dutch bed, Old High German betti, Old Norse beðr, Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌳𐌹 (badi)}}. The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek βοθυρος (bothyros, “pit”), Latin fossa (“ditch”), Latvian bedre (“hole”), Welsh bedd, Breton bez (“grave”).

Noun[edit]

bed n

  1. bed

Declension[edit]

Declension of bed
Singular Plural
nominative bed bed
accusative bed bed
genitive beddes beddō
dative bedde beddum

Descendants[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Verb[edit]

bed (contracted be)

  1. imperative of bedja.

Volapük[edit]

Noun[edit]

bed (plural beds)

  1. bed

Declension[edit]

declension of bed
singular plural
nominative bed beds
genitive beda bedas
dative bede bedes
accusative bedi bedis
predicative bedu bedus
vocative o bed! o beds!
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