heed

See also Heed

English

Etymology

From Middle English hēden, from Old English hēdan (“to heed, take care, observe, attend, guard, take charge, take possession, receive”), from Proto-Germanic *hōdijaną (“to heed, guard”), from Proto-Indo-European *kadʰ- (“to heed, protect”). Cognate with West Frisian hoedje (“to heed”), Dutch hoeden (“to heed”), German hüten (“to heed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /hiːd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːd
• Homophone: he'd

Noun

heed (uncountable)

1. Careful attention.
   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4

     Then for a few minutes I did not pay much heed to what was said, being terribly straitened for room, and cramped with pain from lying so long in one place.

Usage notes

• Often used with give, pay or take.

Synonyms

• (careful attention): attention, notice, observation, regard

Translations

attention

• Czech: pozornost (cs) f
• Dutch: aandacht (nl) m and f
• French: attention (fr) f

• Latin: audientia (la) f
• Russian: внимание (ru) (vnimanije), забота (ru) (zabota)
• Scottish Gaelic: aire (gd) f

Verb

heed (third-person singular simple present heeds, present participle heeding, simple past and past participle heeded)

1. (transitive) To mind; to regard with care; to take notice of; to attend to; to observe.
2. (intransitive, archaic) To pay attention, care.

Translations

to mind

• Czech: dbát (cs)
• French: observer (fr)

• Portuguese: importar-se (pt)
• Spanish: importar (es)

to pay attention

• Czech: věnovat pozornost (cs)
• French: surveiller (fr), prêter attention (fr)

• Portuguese: prestar atenção (pt)
• Spanish: prestar atención (es), poner atención (es)

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

• French: surveiller (fr)
• Ido: atencar (io)

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• hed, heved, heaved

Etymology

From Old English hēafod.

Noun

heed (plural heeds)

1. head (anatomy)

Related terms

• forheed

Descendants

• English: head

References

p. 1, Arthur; A Short Sketch of his Life and History in English Verse of the First Half of the Fifteenth Century, Frederick Furnivall ed. EETS. Trübner & Co.: London. 1864.