deed

See also: dee'd and 'deed

English

A deed of displacement (4).

Etymology

From Middle English dede, from Old English dēd, (West Saxon) dǣd (“deed, act”), from Proto-Germanic *dēdiz (“deed”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁tis (“deed, action”). Cognate with West Frisian died, Dutch daad (“deed, act”), Low German Daat, German Tat (“deed, action”), Swedish and Danish dåd (“act, action”). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek θέσις (thésis, “setting, arrangement”). Related to do.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diːd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːd

Noun

deed (plural deeds)

1. An action or act; something that is done.
   • Bible, Genesis xliv. 15

     And Joseph said to them, What deed is this which ye have done?

2. A brave or noteworthy action; a feat or exploit.
   • Spenser

     knightly deeds

   • Dryden

     whose deeds some nobler poem shall adorn

3. Action or fact, as opposed to rhetoric or deliberation.

   I have fulfilled my promise in word and in deed.

4. (law) A legal contract showing bond.

   I inherited the deed to the house.

Synonyms

• (action): act, action

Derived terms

• indeed

Translations

action

• Arabic: عمل (ar) m (ʕámal)
• Armenian: արարք (hy) (ararkʿ)
• Bashkir: ғәмәл (ğämäl)
• Bulgarian: действие (bg) n (dejstvie), постъпка (bg) f (postǎpka)
• Catalan: fet (ca) m, acte m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行為 (zh), 行为 (zh) (xíngwéi)

• Czech: skutek m, čin (cs) m
• Danish: dåd
• Dutch: daad (nl) f
• Esperanto: faro
• Ewe: dɔwɔwɔ
• Finnish: teko (fi), toimi (fi)
• French: haut fait (fr) m, acte (fr) m, action (fr) f
• German: Tat (de) f, Akt (de) m
• Greek: πράξη (el) f (práxi)
• Hebrew: מעשה m (ma'ase)
• Hungarian: tett (hu)
• Icelandic: dáð (is) f

• Italian: fatto (it) m, gesto (it), gesta
• Japanese: 行為 (ja) (こうい, kōi)
• Korean: 행위 (ko) (haeng-wi)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: کار, کرده‌وه‌

• Luxembourgish: Dot f
• Macedonian: дело n (délo), постапка f (póstapka), подвиг m (pódvig)
• Norwegian: dåd, gjerning
• Persian: کردار (fa) (kerdâr), کار (fa) (kâr), اعمال (fa) pl (a'mâl)
• Portuguese: ação (pt) f, feito (pt) m
• Romanian: faptă (ro)
• Russian: поступок (ru) m (postúpok)
• Scottish Gaelic: gnìomh m
• Spanish: hecho (es) m, acto (es) m, acción (es) f, obra (es) f
• Swedish: gärning (sv), dåd (sv)
• Telugu: చర్య (te) (carya)
• Turkish: iş (tr), hareket (tr)
• West Frisian: died n

legal contract

• Arabic: وثيقة f (waθí:qa)
• Bulgarian: акт (bg) m (akt), документ (bg) m (dokument)
• Catalan: escriptura (ca) f, acta f
• Dutch: oorkonde (nl) c, akte (nl) f
• Finnish: asiakirja (fi)
• French: acte notarié (fr) m
• German: Urkunde (de) f
• Greek: συμβόλαιο (el) n (symvólaio), συμβολαιογραφική πράξη f (symvolaiografikí práxi)
• Hebrew: מסמך m (mismákh), חוזה m (khozé)
• Hungarian: oklevél (hu)

• Italian: atto notarile, contratto (it) m
• Macedonian: поседовен лист m (posédoven list), тапија f (tápija), договор m (dógovor)
• Portuguese: ato (pt) m, contrato (pt) m
• Russian: акт (ru) m (akt), документ (ru) m (dokumént)
• Spanish: acta (es) f, escritura (es) f, título (es) m
• Telugu: ఒప్పందం (te) (oppaṃdaṃ)
• Turkish: vesika (tr), senet (tr)

Verb

deed (third-person singular simple present deeds, present participle deeding, simple past and past participle deeded)

1. (informal) To transfer real property by deed.

   He deeded over the mineral rights to some fellas from Denver.

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /deːt/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

deed

1. singular past indicative of doen

Anagrams

• dede

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• ded

Etymology

From Old English dēad.

Adjective

deed

1. dead (no longer alive)

Descendants

• English: dead

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Scots

Verb

deed

1. past participle of dee
2. (South Scots) past participle of dei