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reed

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The definition of a reed is a tall, slender plant, a person who is tall and slender, or is a musical instrument made from such a plant.

(noun)

A tall, thin plant like a blade of grass is an example of a reed.
A tall, thin person is an example of a reed.

See reed in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

1. any of various tall, slender grasses (esp. genus Phragmites), with plumelike inflorescences, growing in wet or marshy land
2. the stem of any of these grasses
3. such plants or stems collectively, specif. as material for thatching, basketwork, etc.
a rustic musical instrument made from a hollow stem or stalk and played by blowing through it
an ancient Hebrew unit of linear measure equal to 6 cubits: Ezek. 40:3
a device on a loom, by means of which threads are drawn between the separated threads of the warp
Old Poet. an arrow
Archit. a small, rounded molding; reeding
Music
1. a thin strip of some flexible substance, as cane, placed against the opening of the mouthpiece of certain wind instruments, as the clarinet, so as to leave a narrow opening: when vibrated by the breath, it produces a musical tone
2. an instrument with a reed or reeds
3. in some organs, a similar device that vibrates in a current of air
4. the reed instruments of an orchestra, band, etc. or the players of these instruments

Origin: ME rede < OE hreod, akin to OHG hriot < IE base *kreut-, to shake, tremble

adjective

designating an instrument whose sound is produced by a vibrating reed or reeds, specif., the oboe, clarinet, saxophone, English horn, or bassoon
composed of or for such an instrument or instruments: a reed section

transitive verb

to thatch or decorate with reeds

Reed, John 1887-1920; U.S. journalist & radical
Reed, Walter 1851-1902; U.S. army surgeon & bacteriologist

See reed in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. Any of various tall perennial grasses, especially of the genera Phragmites or Arundo, having hollow stems, broad leaves, and large plumelike terminal panicles.
b. The stalk of any of these plants.
c. A collection of these stalks: reed for making baskets.
Music A primitive wind instrument made of a hollow reed stalk.
Music
a. A flexible strip of cane or metal set into the mouthpiece or air opening of certain instruments to produce tone by vibrating in response to a stream of air.
b. An instrument, such as an oboe or clarinet, that is fitted with a reed.
A narrow movable frame fitted with reed or metal strips that separate the warp threads in weaving.
Architecture A reeding.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English rede

Origin: , from Old English hrēod

American journalist. A World War I correspondent, he was in Petrograd during the October Revolution (1917), an experience he recounted in Ten Days That Shook the World (1919). In 1919 he founded the American Communist Labor Party. Reed is buried in the Kremlin in Moscow.

, Thomas Brackett 1839-1902.

American politician. A U.S. representative from Maine (1877-1899), he twice served as Speaker of the House (1889-1891 and 1895-1899).

, Walter 1851-1902.

American physician and army surgeon who proved that yellow fever was transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

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