deed

See also: dee'd and 'deed

English

Etymology

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

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.
   • (Can we date this quote by Spenser and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     knightly deeds

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     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 instrument that is executed under seal or before witnesses.

   I inherited the deed to the house.

Synonyms

• (action): act, action; see also Thesaurus:action
• (law): document, certificate, instrument

Derived terms

• deedful
• deedholder
• deedless
• deedly
• deed of assumption
• deed poll
• indeed
• misdeed

Translations

action

• Arabic: عَمَل‎ (ar) m (ʿamal), فِعْل‎ (ar) m (fiʿl)
• Armenian: արարք (hy) (ararkʿ)
• Bashkir: ғәмәл (ğämäl)
• Belarusian: дзе́янне n (dzjéjannje), акт m (akt)
• Bulgarian: де́йствие (bg) n (déjstvie), постъпка (bg) f (postǎpka), акт (bg) m (akt)
• Catalan: fet (ca) m, acte (ca) m
• Chinese:

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

• Czech: skutek (cs) m, čin (cs) m
• Danish: gerning c, handling (da) c
• Dutch: daad (nl) f
• Esperanto: faro (eo), ago
• Ewe: dɔwɔwɔ
• Finnish: teko (fi), toimi (fi)
• French: acte (fr) m, action (fr) f, œuvre (fr) f (theology)
• Galician: feito (gl) m
• German: Tat (de) f, Akt (de) m, Werk (de) n
• Greek: πράξη (el) f (práxi)

  Ancient: πρᾶξις f (prâxis)

• Hebrew: מעשה‎ (he) m (ma'ase)
• Hungarian: tett (hu)
• Icelandic: dáð (is) f
• Italian: fatto (it) m, gesto (it), gesta (it)
• Japanese: 行為 (ja) (こうい, kōi)
• Korean: 행위 (ko) (haeng-wi)

• Kurdish: kirin (ku) f, kiryar (ku) f, emel (ku) m, faliyet f

  Sorani: کار‎ (kar), کردەوە‎ (kirdewe)

• Latin: āctus (la) m
• Luxembourgish: Dot f
• Macedonian: дело n (delo), постапка f (postapka)
• Norwegian: dåd (no), gjerning
• Persian: کردار‎ (fa) (kerdâr), کار‎ (fa) (kâr), اعمال‎ (fa) pl (a'mâl)
• Portuguese: ação (pt) f, feito (pt) m
• Romanian: faptă (ro)
• Russian: посту́пок (ru) m (postúpok), де́йствие (ru) n (déjstvije), дея́ние (ru) n (dejánije), акт (ru) m (akt)
• Sanskrit: कार्य (sa) n (kārya)
• Scottish Gaelic: gnìomh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чи̑н m

  Roman: čȋn (sh) m

• Slovak: skutok m, čin (sk) m
• Slovene: dejanje (sl) n
• Spanish: hecho (es) m, acto (es) m, acción (es) f, obra (es) f
• Swahili: tendo (sw) class 5/6, jambo (sw) class 5/6
• Swedish: gärning (sv), dåd (sv)
• Telugu: చర్య (te) (carya)
• Turkish: iş (tr), hareket (tr)
• Ukrainian: ді́я (uk) f (díja), ді́яння (uk) n (díjannja), акт (uk) m (akt)
• West Frisian: died n

brave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit

• Arabic: مَأْثُرَة‎ f (maʾṯura)
• Belarusian: по́дзвіг m (pódzvih), вы́чын m (výčyn)
• Bulgarian: по́двиг (bg) m (pódvig)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 功勛 (zh), 功勋 (zh) (gōngxūn)

• Czech: čin (cs) m
• Danish: dåd c, bedrift c
• Finnish: saavutus (fi)

• French: exploit (fr) m, haut fait (fr) m, prouesse (fr) f, coup d'éclat (fr) m, action d'éclat f
• Galician: feito (gl) m
• Italian: prodezza f, impresa (it) f, exploit (it) m, bravura (it) f, ardimento (it) m, gesta (it) f pl
• Macedonian: подвиг m (podvig)
• Maori: rāwekeweke
• Polish: wyczyn (pl) m
• Russian: по́двиг (ru) m (pódvig)
• Slovak: čin (sk) m
• Spanish: hazaña (es) f, proeza (es) f, gesta (es) f, logro (es) m, hito (es) m, hombrada f, machada (es) f
• Ukrainian: по́двиг m (pódvyh)

legal instrument

• Arabic: وَثِيقَة‎ f (waṯīqa)
• Bulgarian: акт (bg) m (akt), докуме́нт (bg) m (dokumént)
• Catalan: escriptura (ca) f, acta (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 契據 (zh), 契据 (zh) (qìjù)

• Danish: skøde n
• Dutch: akte (nl) f
• Finnish: asiakirja (fi)
• French: acte juridique m
• Galician: escritura f, estormento m, título m
• German: Urkunde (de) f
• Greek: συμβόλαιο (el) n (symvólaio), συμβολαιογραφική πράξη f (symvolaiografikí práxi)

• Hebrew: מסמך‎ m (mismákh), חוזה‎ (he) m (khozé)
• Hungarian: oklevél (hu)
• Italian: atto notarile, contratto (it) m
• Macedonian: поседовен лист m (posedoven list), тапија f (tapija), договор m (dogovor)
• Malay: geran
• Maori: tīti
• Portuguese: ato (pt) m, contrato (pt) m
• Russian: акт (ru) m (akt), докуме́нт (ru) m (dokumént)
• Spanish: acta (es) f, escritura (es) f, título (es) m
• Tagalog: kasulatan
• Telugu: ఒప్పందం (te) (oppandaṃ)
• 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.

Derived terms

• undeeded

Translations

to transfer real property by deed

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: tilskøde

• Finnish: luovuttaa sopimuksella
• Russian: please add this translation if you can

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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, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz.

Adjective

deed

1. dead (no longer alive)

   • a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “John 5:21”, in Wycliffe's Bible:

     For as the fadir reisith deed men, and quykeneth, so the sone quykeneth whom he wole.

     Just like when the father raises the dead and resurrects them, the son resurrects who he wants.

Descendants

• English: dead
• Scots: dede, deid, deed
• Yola: deed

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Scots

Verb

deed

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

Adverb

deed

1. indeed