heed

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See also: Heed

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Translations

Verb

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

  1. (obsolete) To guard, protect.
  2. (transitive) To mind; to regard with care; to take notice of; to attend to; to observe.
    • 1567, John Dryden translating Ovid, Metamorphoses Book 1
      With pleasure Argus the musician heeds.
    • 2013 September 23, Masha Gessen, "Life in a Russian Prison," New York Times (retrieved 24 September 2013):
      Tolokonnikova not only tried to adjust to life in the penal colony but she even tried to heed the criticism levied at her by colony representatives during a parole hearing.
  3. (intransitive, archaic) To pay attention, care.

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English hēafod, from Proto-Germanic *haubudą (“head”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɛːd/, /ˈhɛvəd/, /ˈhɛːvəd/, /ˈhɛvd/, /ˈhɛːvd/

Noun

heed (plural heedes)

  1. head (top portion of a human or animal, connected to the neck):
    • a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Apocalips 1:14”, in Wycliffe's Bible:
      And the heed of hym and his heeris weren whijt, as whijt wolle, and as ſnow; and the iȝen of hym as flawme of fier.
      And his head and his hairs were white, as white wool, and like snow, and his eyes were like fire's flame.
    1. The place where one's head rests (on a bed or when buried)
    2. That which covers the head; headwear or hair.
    3. The head as the origin of thought; intellect or one's brain.
    4. horns, antlers (of a cervid)
  2. The chief, most renowned or most prominent thing or person in a group:
    1. boss, leader, executive
    2. capital city
  3. start, origin
    1. The topmost end of a body of water or a geographical feature.
    2. One of the lengthwise ends of a geographic feature having more length than width.
    3. headwater
    4. The top end or peak of something; the uppermost point of something.
    5. The outermost extremity, point or projection of something.
  4. The functional or useful end of a tool or device.
  5. A rounded or head-shaped bump, boil, or similar protrusion.
  6. One's ability to live (presumably as decapitation kills)
  7. impetuousness, rashness, impatience; being unconsidered.
  8. (by extension) individual; someone or somebody
  9. (rare) military force or troop
Alternative forms

Adjective

heed

  1. head

Descendants

  • English: head
  • Scots: heid
  • Yola: haade

References

Etymology 2

Noun

heed (uncountable)

  1. Alternative form of hed (“heed”)

Etymology 3

Verb

heed

  1. Alternative form of hadde: simple past/past participle of haven (“to have”)
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