The Collaborative Dictionary

Wed \Wed\, v. i. To contact matrimony; to marry. "When I shall wed." --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Wed \Wed\, v. t. [imp. Wedded; p. p. Wedded or Wed; p. pr. & vb. n. Wedding.] [OE. wedden, AS. weddian to covenant, promise, to wed, marry; akin to OFries. weddia to promise, D. wedden to wager, to bet, G. wetten, Icel. ve[eth]ja, Dan. vedde, Sw. v[aum]dja to appeal, Goth. gawadj[=o]n to betroth. See Wed, n.] [1913 Webster]

To take for husband or for wife by a formal ceremony; to marry; to espouse. [1913 Webster] With this ring I thee wed. --Bk. of Com. Prayer. [1913 Webster] I saw thee first, and wedded thee. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

To join in marriage; to give in wedlock. [1913 Webster] And Adam, wedded to another Eve, Shall live with her. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Fig.: To unite as if by the affections or the bond of marriage; to attach firmly or indissolubly. [1913 Webster] Thou art wedded to calamity. --Shak. [1913 Webster] Men are wedded to their lusts. --Tillotson. [1913 Webster] [Flowers] are wedded thus, like beauty to old age. --Cowper. [1913 Webster]

To take to one's self and support; to espouse. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] They positively and concernedly wedded his cause. --Clarendon. [1913 Webster]

Wed \Wed\ (w[e^]d), n. [AS. wedd; akin to OFries. wed, OD. wedde, OHG, wetti, G. wette a wager, Icel. ve[eth] a pledge, Sw. vad a wager, an appeal, Goth. wadi a pledge, Lith. vad[*u]ti to redeem (a pledge), LL. vadium, L. vas, vadis, bail, security, vadimonium security, and Gr. ?, ? a prize. Cf. Athlete, Gage a pledge, Wage.] A pledge; a pawn. [Obs.] --Gower. Piers Plowman. [1913 Webster] Let him be ware, his neck lieth to wed [i. e., for a security]. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

wed adj : having been taken in marriage [syn: wedded] n : the fourth day of the week; the third working day [syn: Wednesday]

1 take in marriage [syn: marry, get married, conjoin, hook up with, get hitched with, espouse]

2 perform a marriage ceremony; "The minister married us on Saturday"; "We were wed the following week"; "The couple got spliced on Hawaii" [syn: marry, tie, splice] [also: wedding, wedded]

Moby Thesaurus

affiliate, ally, apply, arrange a match, associate, band together, be in cahoots, be made one, be spliced, become one, bind, bracket, bunch, bunch up, cabal, catch, cement a union, centralize, club, club together, combine, come together, confederate, conjoin, connect, consociate, conspire, contract matrimony, correlate, couple, draw a parallel, equate, espouse, federalize, federate, gang, gang up, get hitched, give away, go in partners, go in partnership, hitch, hook up with, identify, intermarry, interrelate, interwed, join, join forces, join fortunes with, join together, join up with, join with, league, link, make a match, make one, marry, match, mate, miscegenate, nuptial, organize, pair, pair off, parallel, parallelize, partner, relate, relativize, remarry, rewed, splice, stand together, stand up with, take to wife, team up with, team with, throw in with, tie, tie in with, tie up with, unionize, unite, unite in marriage, unite with, wive, yoke

English

Pronunciation

• /'wεd/ /"wEd/

• Rhymes: -ɛd

Etymology

weddian

Verb

1. To perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony.

   The priest wed the couple.

2. To take as one's spouse.

   She wed her first love.

3. To take a spouse.

Synonyms

• marry

Translations