reed /ɹiːd/noun 13verb 2forms 3phrases 2 noun13 •a plant that looks like a very tall, firm grass and is found in large groups at the edge of rivers and lakes •Part of an aerophone musical instrument, comprising a thin piece of wood or metal, which vibrates to produce sound when air passes through it. •The hollow stem of these plants. •Short for reed instrument. •Straw prepared for thatching a roof. •A comb-like part of a beater for beating the weft when weaving. •Reeding. •(historical) A piece of whalebone or similar for stiffening the skirt or waist of a woman's dress. •A tube containing the train of powder for igniting the charge in blasting. •(dialect, UK) The fourth stomach of a ruminant; rennet. •(no longer used) A measuring rod. •(no longer used) A Babylonian unit of measure the length of a reed, equal to half a nindan, or six cubits. •(literary, no longer used) A missile weapon. verb2 •To mill or mint with reeding. •To thatch. formsreeded · reeding · reeds Phrases with reed broken reedSomething or someone very fragile or unreliable. slender reedA person, fact, or resource on which one can rely only to a limited extent.
