| 释义 |
weedn.1 Etymology: Cognate with East Frisian (Saterland) jood, Middle Dutch wiet (Dutch wied, now regional), Old Saxon wiod (German regional (Low German: East Friesland) weed, weet), all in the sense ‘weed’, and (with different stem-class) Old High German wiota fern; further etymology unknown.In Old English usually a strong neuter (with unchanged nominative and accusative plural); analogical plural forms in -s (and occasionally -n ) are attested in early Middle English. Forms such as Middle English (north midlands) and Older Scots wade , Older Scots waid , weade reflect sporadic early lowering (after w- ) of /eː/ to /ɛː/ (subsequently raised to /eː/ again by the operation of the Great Vowel Shift; J. Wright Eng. Dial. Gram. (1905) 671 records regional pronunciations of this type from Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire, and also (in Scotland) from Perthshire and Angus). The diphthongal pronunciation ( /wʌɪd/) seen in the β. forms (especially characteristic of north-eastern varieties of Scots) appears to have arisen during the course of the Great Vowel Shift when forms with (lowered) stem vowel /ɛː/ were subject to capture by the already diphthongized reflex of Middle English long ī (compare similar forms at weed n.2, weed n.3, wame n., and see further discussion in A. J. Aitken & C. Macafee Older Sc. Vowels (2002) 164–5, note 13). I. A wild plant, and related senses. * Senses relating to uncultivated plants. 1. a. the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [noun] > weed OE (Mercian) xiii. 25 Cum autem dormierunt homines, uenit inimicus eius et superseminauit zizania in medio tritici : þa hie soþlice sleptun þa menn cuom feond his & oferseow weod in midle þæs hwætes. lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius (Bodl.) (2009) I. xxiii. 288 Swa hwa swa wille sawan westmbære land, atio ærest of..þa fyrsas and þæt fearn and ealle þa weod þe he gesio þæt þam æcerum derigen. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris (1873) 2nd Ser. 129 For þi is þis westren for-grouwen mid brimbles and mid þornes and mid iuele wiedes. c1300 St. Mary of Egypt (Laud) l. 108 in C. Horstmann (1887) 264 Heo ne et no mannische mete bote weodes and wilde more. ?1387 T. Wimbledon (Corpus Cambr.) (1967) 63 (MED) But ȝif þe vine..be [r]ayled, she shal be ouergoo wiþ netles and wedis. c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xiii. l. 224 On fat londe and ful of donge foulest wedes groweth. (Harl. 221) 519 Weed, or wyyld herbe, aborigo. a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville (Vitell.) l. 13806 I cause also that in gardynys..bremblys..Wexe..And many weedys that be nat sowe. 1532 G. Hervet tr. Xenophon f. 49v The grounde must be clene kept and deliuered from wides. 1593 W. Shakespeare sig. Fiijv They bid thee crop a weed, thou pluckst a flower. View more context for this quotation a1660 Aphorismical Discov. in J. T. Gilbert (1879) I. 128 To keep a field from over growinge with wides. 1669 J. Worlidge 87 Whilest they [sc. Hedges] are yet young, they are to be constantly weeded, least the Weeds prevent the thick spreading of the Hedge at the bottom. 1726 J. Laurence 451 Couch-Grass is a pernicious Weed, keeping the Land hollow and loose. 1781 W. Cowper 214 But grace abus'd brings forth the foulest deeds, As richest soil the most luxuriant weeds. 1815 W. Wordsworth vii. 130 Plate of monumental brass, Dim-gleaming among weeds and grass. 1841 C. Dickens i. xxii. 214 In the garden there was not a weed to be seen. 1904 July 794/1 Apparently every worm and bug in the garden sought it out, and, as for weeds, they sprang up by battalions during the night. 1958 S. Ashton-Warner 171 An enclosure of wilful wanton weeds. 2014 Apr. 174/4 Ensure the soil or compost is free of weeds. the world > plants > plants collectively > [noun] > growing beneath trees or undergrowth the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [noun] > weed > collectively OE (Mercian) xiii. 27 Nonne bonum semen seminasti in agro tuo, unde ergo habet zizania : no þu god sed geseowe on lond þin hwonan þonne hæfð hit þæt weod? c1275 (?c1250) (Calig.) (1935) l. 593 Among þe wode [a1300 Jesus Oxf. wede] among þe netle. a1300 (c1275) (1991) l. 158 [The ant] Gaddreð ilkines sed boðen of wude & of wed. a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) l. 1140 In-sted o þi noþer sede, Ne sal þe groue bot thorne and wede. 1434 (Bundle 20, No. 1) Ricardus Kynge jactat le weede gardini sui in Skykkis lane. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert f. xxiiiiv The grasse that groweth vpon falowes is nat good for shepe, for there is moch of it wede. 1596 E. Spenser iv. vii. sig. F8 When suddenly behind her backe she heard One rushing forth out of the thickest weed . View more context for this quotation ?1606 M. Drayton Man in Moone in sig. H3v The Teale and Morecoot raking in the weed. 1613 T. Heywood iii. sig. Hv Wheat, Whose spykes the weed and cooch-grasse shall out-grow. 1749 T. Wright 30 May I, less worth, forever lonely stray, Than the mean Weed and unregarded Clay. 1832 Ld. Tennyson Œnone in (new ed.) 61 A wild and wanton pard,..Crouched fawning in the weed. 1902 Mar. 46 Nest..12 inches above ground, in thick weed in open field. 2004 J. Soukup & J. Holec in H. C. M. den Nijs et al. xvi. 213 Hand selection is used as an additional tool... Its overall effectiveness depends on the amount of weed in the field. the world > plants > by habitat or distribution > [noun] > aquatic plant c1450 Treat. Fishing in J. McDonald et al. (1963) 163 Ye schall angle euery place wher it is depe and clere..with-owtun mudde or wedes, and especiall yf þer be..long wedys flotyng a-boue þe watur. 1538 T. Elyot Alga, reyte, or wedes of the see. 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach iv. f. 173 It is best to bring from the Sea, little Rockes with the weedes and all vppon them, and to place them in the middest of your Ponds, and to make a young Sea of them. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. ii. 105 As Weeds before A Vessell vnder sayle, so men obey'd, And fell below his Stem. View more context for this quotation 1617 F. Moryson iii. 146 Both Ilands [Jersey and Guernesey] burne a weede of the Sea or Sea coales brought out of England. 1653 I. Walton ix. 177 This fish..loves..to live..in standing waters, where mud and the worst of weeds abound. View more context for this quotation 1669 J. Worlidge 65 (margin) Of Sea-weeds, and Weeds in Rivers. 1774 O. Goldsmith VIII. 177 They are bred from eggs, which are laid upon the weeds along the sea-shore. 1791 J. Smeaton §236 There might be no need hereafter to disturb any part of the coat of weed, which was likely to fix upon it during the winter. 1865 Mrs. L. L. Clarke i. 18 If you mount a few coarse needles on bits of stick,..they will be extremely useful in laying out the weed. 1886 R. L. Stevenson vi. 48 The weeds were new to me—some green, some brown and long, and some with little bladders that crackled between my fingers. 1901 22 Aug. 2/3 The green weed shone as silken as a sea-woman's hair. 1931 E. G. Boulenger xx. 158 The pale pink Cornish Sucker..occurs in quantities clinging to weeds at low tide. 1999 R. Deakin (2000) iii. 35 Crayfish were once so abundant in the Itchen that..there would be dozens of them amongst the weed. 2008 L. M. Flynn 245 It's the smaller weeds, the winged kelp, sea palm.., and tangle that flaunt their colors. 2. the world > plants > [noun] > plant, herb, or weed OE (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 30 Soþlice gyf æcyres weod [L. faenum agri] þæt ðe to dæg is & bið to morgen on fen [read ofen] asend God [swa] scryt,.., þam mycle ma he scryt eow. c1275 (?c1250) (Calig.) (1935) l. 320 Mi stefne..is ilich one grete horne, & þin is ilich one pipe Of one smale wode [altered to woede; a1300 Jesus Oxf. weode] un ripe. a1325 St. Mary Magdalen (Corpus Cambr.) l. 280 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill (1956) 312 Angles hure ladde in a stude þer nas no frut ne gras Ne tre[o] ne weod ne more noþer þat eorþliche was. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. lx. 948 Ebulus is a weed most yliche to elleren tree. a1425 (?a1300) (Linc. Inn) (1952) l. 792 Mury time is þe weod to sere [c1400 Laud is wode sere] Þe corn ripuþ in þe eorþe. a1500 (Rawl.) (1896) 19 (MED) The wedis and the grasse that stodyn al euyn vp-ryght, thay lay al y-throw dovne and cast to ground. 1590 E. Spenser ii. i. sig. N6 And then with words & weedes of wondrous might, On them she workes her will to vses bad. 1614 J. Sylvester 56 The Sun-burnt Reaper had yet scarcely rid The ridged Acres of their richest Weed. 1859 Ld. Tennyson Vivien in 118 I once was looking for a magic weed. the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > cultivated or valued > [noun] > not valued > weed or wolf tree 1697 W. Dampier vii. 165 [Cotton-trees] are the biggest Trees, or perhaps Weeds rather, in the West Indies. 1707 J. Mortimer 604 The Rasberry Tree..is rather a Weed than a Tree, never living two Years together above ground. 1860 W. White xi. 99 There is no lack of wood or of ‘Herefordshire weeds’, as oaks are called. 1885 T. Mozley (ed. 2) II. xc. 206 The ash is the weed of the county [sc. Northants]. 1890 W. J. Gordon 127 The elm, which from its abundance in the country, is still known as the ‘Warwickshire weed.’ 1948 S. Dark in C. E. M. Joad 92/2 There are beeches and yews—the ‘Hampshire weeds’—on the chalk hills. 2005 C. Tudge xiii. 351 Elms..grew so rampantly in the west country that they were known as the ‘Wiltshire weed.’ ** Senses relating to plants cultivated or prepared for human use. 3. the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > [noun] 1600 S. Rowlands Epigram xviii. sig. B4v But this same poyson, steeped India weede, In head, hart, lunges, doth soote & cobwebs breede. 1609 T. Dekker sig. D2 Where, if you cannot reade, exercise your smoake, and inquire who has writ against this diuine weede. 1687 M. Prior & Earl of Halifax 17 Your Pipe's so foul, that I disdain to smoak; And the Weed worse than e're Tom. I----s took. 1782 W. Cowper Conversation in 225 Pernicious weed! whose scent the fair annoys. 1797 10 58 And chaunt the song, and puff the weed. 1830 Apr. 247 The circulation of suitable tracts..for the purpose of producing voluntary abstinence from this noxious weed. 1841 E. Bulwer-Lytton i. vi. 149 He knocked the weed from his pipe. 1913 H. A. Franck v. 159 If he chances to be addicted to the weed there is the cigarette-case and matches. 1940 C. McCullers ii. 19 Five mills for the crackers who grew the weed and five for the dupes who rolled it. 2007 P. Cross & C. Hopwood (new ed.) xvii. 81 A variety of..methods have been devised to get you your nicotine fix in ways that can break the link with cigarettes and can wean you off the weed. the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > smoking > articles or materials used in smoking > [noun] > thing which may be smoked > cigar or cheroot 1831 Mar. 290 May God preserve me from the indecent, ignoble, criminal slavery, to the mean delight of smoking a weed. 1885 C. Lowe I. 388 (note) The strategist carefully selected the best weed in the Chancellor's case. 1934 L. Charteris v. 119 ‘Have a cigar, my dear sir, have a cigar.’ The young man took the weed, bit off the wrong end, and stuck it into his mouth with the band on. 1959 E. De Roo v. 42 She stretched and lit a cigarette. ‘Want a weed?’ She tossed the pack to Gil. 2000 G. Pelecanos v. 47 I'll be out back, catching a weed. 1768 1 Mar. What rendered the patriotism of this entertainment more conspicuous, was the exclusion of that pernicious weed, called tea. 1784 5 Oct. The poor labourers had forsook the wholesome food..for that noxious weed—tea. 1807 31 Dec. 404 These evils have all come upon you through tea! Cursed weed. 1819 29 Dec. The population..has attached itself to this idle, if not pernicious weed, for the want of some better article for their sober and economical daily refection. 1856 F. W. Shelton 141 Having..drank a cup of the weed called tea, I returned to my solitary apartment. 5. slang (originally U.S.). the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > a) narcotic drug(s) > marijuana or cannabis the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > a) narcotic drug(s) > marijuana or cannabis > cigarette 1898 170 The plant is known also in Southern Mexico together with another ‘loco-weed’—mariguana—our cannabis sativa.] 1917 2 Nov. 7/7 Loco weed by the bucketful was seized recently by the police... The officers found a washtub..filled with marijuana weed. 1932 Sept. 749/2 ‘Song of the Weed’, ‘Got the South in my Soul’, ‘I Heard’, and ‘Reefer Man’ are all worth your half-crowns. 1956 J. Kerouac i. i. 8 Carlo told him of..Lee in Texas growing weed. 1978 R. Hill iii. 28 She might be on the game. Or she might have a bit of weed about the place. Or anything. 2016 N. J. Sales v. 261 Feeling isolated and depressed, Amanda got into drugs, ecstasy and weed. the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > a) narcotic drug(s) > marijuana or cannabis > cigarette 1929 4 345 Weed, marijuana cigarette. (A Mexican drug.) 1933 2 Dec. 5 The humble ‘reefer’, ‘the weed’, the marijuana, or what have you by way of a name for a doped cigarette has moved to Park Ave. from Harlem. 1991 (Nexis) 14 Aug. (City Times section) 2 Marinol..is regarded as purer and has fewer potential side effects than does smoking a weed, Kytle said. 2012 @Tee_Wizzle 29 Dec. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) I'm always rolling a weed, I smoke a lot of pot. the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > a) narcotic drug(s) > opium 1918 xiii. 95 Amiel..lived, an unnatural life, to which he became as firmly addicted as an opium eater to his weed. II. Figurative uses of branch I.*the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > [noun] > a harmful thing or person > like a weed eOE Bede Glosses (Tiber. C.ii) in H. D. Meritt (1945) 10/2 [Ut ipse..omnem inimici] zizaniam [ex omni uestra insula cum diuino nutu eradicet] : wyod. ?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena (Harl.) (1966) 16 (MED) In gaderynge delitable fruyt I foond ful bittire wedis. c1440 (?a1400) l. 4322 (MED) Latt no wykkyde wede waxe ne wrythe one this erthe. a1475 Visio Philiberti (Brogyntyn) in J. O. Halliwell (1855) 37 How schal thou do then, that arte but a weede, And ale thi dayis leve by extorsyoune? a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. (Rawl.) (1898) 164 So rysyth of the roote of an..appert traytoure, othyr rebellis, many wickid wedis sone growynge, that al trewe men in londe Sore greuyth. 1569 R. Grafton II. 349 And if..any persons..entended the contrary, there must also be deuised howe such euill wedes may be destroyed. 1598 R. Barret i. 7 Iustices..to disburden their..shire of corrupt weeds, as they tearme it, do picke out the scumme of their countrie..for the warres. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1622) iv. ii. 69 O thou blacke weede, why art so louely faire? Thou smell'st so sweete, that the sence akes at thee, Would thou hadst ne're bin borne. 1635 J. Hawkins tr. P. Aretino vi. 206 The weed of sinne,..had so estranged me, that I vnderwent imminent danger, to haue neuer reassumed my selfe. 1702 I. i. 29 An immoderate Ambition..is a Weed (if it be a Weed) apt to grow in the best Soils. 1750 S. Johnson No. 183. ⁋11 Envy is, indeed, a stubborn weed of the mind, and seldom yields to the culture of philosophy. 1831 C. J. Ingersoll iv. 66 Love..has, I fear, Destroyed the first fruits of my laurel crop, Supplanting it with weeds of wantonness. 1850 G. Grote VIII. ii. lxviii. 634 Intolerance is the natural weed of the human bosom, though its growth or development may be counteracted by liberalizing causes. 1915 F. S. Oliver ii. v. 146 Militarism is a tough weed to kill. 1992 J. T. Hospital ii. i. 131 Into Gabriel's mind another nasty little cobblers-peg weed of a thought intruded. 2012 I. Frazier 65 We must irrigate our aspirations and pull out the noxious mental weeds, such as complacency, and habit. society > occupation and work > industry > mining > [noun] > diminution or degeneration of lode 1667 S. Colepresse Let. 13 Apr. in H. Oldenburg (1966) III. 393 Ore mixt with weede is such Tin-ore, as hath some heterogeneous body mixt wth. it. 1750 R. Heath 261 There are several Kinds of Weeds belonging to the Ore. 9. colloquial. the world > health and disease > ill health > sick person > [noun] > weak person the world > life > the body > bodily height > shortness > [noun] > person the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > condition of being held in contempt > [noun] > state or quality of being contemptible > contemptible person 1825 J. Constable Let. 2 Sept. in (1964) II. 381 Called on Manning in the evening. All as comfortable as usual—the poor little wan children at tea & supper... So harsh he seems with these poor dear little weeds. 1873 A. L. Smith in J. E. Morgan 231 I know men who, from being weeds, have grown into strong and healthy men on the river. 1953 G. Willans 12 There are a grate number of other weeds and wets about the place. 1970 4 Mar. 13/5 A girl torn between a brainy weed and a moronic body-builder. 2000 1 Mar. (G2 section) 14/1 The neurotic weed who once said he would never show his chest in public..now belly dances in his underpants to keep the public happy. the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > body or parts of horse > [noun] > physical condition or types of > horse in poor condition > thin horse a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) i. iii. 20 We haue strict Statutes, and most biting Laws, (The needfull bits and curbes to headstrong weedes,) Which for this foureteene yeares, we haue let slip.] 1826 July 210/1 The veriest weed from an English racing stable..is landed at Calcutta. 1844 J. H. Stocqueler 351 The necessity..for constant renewal of the blood..without which the breed degenerates into weeds. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ iii. 28 Here she pointed to her steed, a small violent weed. 1905 Apr. 579 I saw remount officers rejecting fine short legged cobs because they did not reach the 14·2 standard, and accepting leggy weeds because they happened to be the requisite height. 1997 Feb. 36/1 My tiny bay blood weed..jumped like a stag..and gave me six unforgettable seasons. Phrases P1. In proverbs and proverbial expressions, with reference to the ability of weeds to grow quickly and profusely. c1330 (Auch.) (1933) l. 1057 I se þe wede waxe ouer þe corn, Allas, allas, þat i was boren. c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham (1902) 31 (MED) Senne greueþ in þe..Þat [read Ase] wed schel growen ouer þe corn, Wyþ-oute medicyne Of sorȝe. a1470 T. Malory (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 306 To se suche a lad to macche you as the wede growyth over the corne. 1546 J. Heywood i. x. sig. Civv Ill weed growth fast..wherby the corne is lorne. For surely the weed ouergroweth the corne. c1586 J. Stewart (1913) 82 As the vyde increscis vith the corn so thow perturb the cheifest. 1597 T. Middleton iv. sig. E3 The weeds outgrow the herbs, the tares the corne. 1721 J. Kelly 319 The Weeds o'er grow the Corn, the bad are the most numerous. a1500 in (1854) 2 309 (MED) Ewyl weed ys sone y-growe. 1546 J. Heywood i. x. sig. Civv Ill weed growth fast..wherby the corne is lorne. 1597 W. Shakespeare ii. iv. 13 Small herbes haue grace, great weedes grow apace. 1616 T. Draxe 216 An ill weede groweth apace. 1697 J. Pollexfen 100 As ill Weeds grow apace, so these Manufactured Goods from India. 1706 in tr. E. Y. Ides 127 They have with their Wares and Trade introduced the Mahometan Religion, which as Weeds grow apace, is spread over all China. 1736 7 Sedition springs, as ill Weeds grow, apace. 1864 J. H. Friswell 269 Luxuries, stimulants, late hours, follies, and other like matters, make weeds grow apace in the human garden. 1883 22 Sept. 4/2 The loco industry is only in its infancy as yet, but bad weeds grow fast. 1903 A. F. Schauffler 74 My mother..said, ‘Why, Fred, how you have grown.’ An Englishman was standing by her side..and he said, ‘Yes; ill weeds grow apace.’ And I hated him. 2016 16 Feb. (online newspaper, accessed 4 July 2018) Banks account for far too much of the funding for economic activity... But ill weeds grow apace, and the safer bet is that banks will find a way to survive even more deeply negative rates. P2. 1950 16 Apr. (Homemaking & Gardening section) 10/3 (advt.) Destroy Dandelions and other weeds with an easy application of Scotts Weed & Feed. At the same time you nourish your lawn. 1960 14 Mar. 88/1 (advt.) PAX Snap-Bak is a new weed and feed product. 1967 10 Aug. 12/3 (advt.) $1 off Plus-2 Our leading weed-'n-feed. 2003 H. Garrett (rev. ed.) 80 Many of the heavily recommended ‘weed-and-feed’ fertilizers still contain Atrazine,..a toxic chemical herbicide..effective in killing your trees and shrubs. 2006 Apr. 40/2 I'm totally organic, apart from a weed-and-feed on the lawn in spring. P3. chiefly North American. in the weeds. 1960 23 Nov. 30/1 Ohio State coach Fred Taylor is concerned..about being the ‘target’..‘We probably took some of them by surprise last year..but everybody is going to be hiding in the weeds looking for us this year.’ 1968 W. R. Corson 36 Other than a hopelessly inadequate few of the ‘spooks’ out in the weeds there wasn't one member of the entire mission who could speak Vietnamese. 1983 K. Dryden 30 He lurks about ‘in the weeds’,..away from the play, unnoticed in a game that centers around his linemate Lafleur. 1993 T. Clancy xiii. 212 Let me say something for myself: I wish we'd had an intel-weenie like you working for us when I was out in the weeds. 2016 (Nexis) 26 Dec. This ruling allows a union to delay any ballot measure simply by lying in the weeds until just before the governing body acts to place the measure on the ballot. 1979 R. Prest xv. 167 I counter roll and push downwards, seeking to gain the energy that I need to smoke away into the distance down in the ‘weeds’ at zero feet or thereabouts, where his pulse radar will be unable to pick me up. 1988 P. D. Chinnery ii. ix. 75 By ‘in the weeds’..I mean below the peaks in the mountains and about 50 feet in the flatlands. 2004 (Nexis) 12 Oct. a10 This is what Capt. Paisley calls ‘getting down in the weeds’, a low-level exercise to hone the skills he and the other pilots..practise almost every day. 1981 W. Safire in 2 May 18/3 A busy bartender is said to be buried or in the weeds. 1990 C. Eble (Univ. N. Carolina, Chapel Hill) (typescript) Fall 3 I've got three papers an exam, two meetings, and a tennis match in the next three days. I am majorly in the weeds. 1995 20 Feb. 34 Getting drinks for one table, dinners for four,..opening wine at three, taking the order at six [etc.]... A waitress..at this point..is ‘deep in the weeds’. 2000 A. Bourdain (2001) 218 He likes to step into other stations when other cooks get in the weeds, chiding them in his horrible Spanish. 2015 (Nexis) 10 Sept. Success requires both sides of the house to work in sync, especially when the wait is long, tables are filled and the kitchen is in the weeds. 1993 4 Mar. a2/3 One White House official at first dismissed questions about the Ex-Im Bank plan as ‘too far down in the weeds for me’. But on further questioning..expressed familiarity with all major objections to the program. 2000 5 June 3 Organizations need to focus on three or four goals otherwise you get too bogged down in the weeds. 2009 D. J. Minnick v. 177 Be able to distinguish between activities that keep you ‘down in the weeds’ from those that give you the bigger picture. 2012 (Nexis) 9 Jan. Boards that focus on the big picture tend to produce better results than those that get lost in the weeds and end up focusing on things that really don't matter much. Compounds C1. the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > weed > [noun] > tumble-weed the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [noun] > weed > collectively the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [noun] > weed > rate of growth the world > plants > particular plants > algae > seaweed > [noun] > patch of drifting seaweed 1665 (Royal Soc.) 1 13 They went into the Weed-beds of the Gulf of Florida. a1682 Sir T. Browne Acct. Fishes Norfolk in (1835) IV. 330 A weed-fish, somewhat like a haddock. 1782 M. Delany (1861) I. 368 My amusement was running after butterflies and gathering weed nosegays. 1791 W. Marshall Minutes in (1796) II. 279 The weed seeds having spent themselves,..the dressing will be turned in. 1844 H. Stephens III. 993 The weeds and weed-roots will then be seen upon the surface. 1847 A. Smith (1848) xlv. 395 Metal weed-cases. 1851 C. Kingsley x. 173 Even if marriage was but one weed-field of temptations, as these miserable pedants say. 1899 Dec. 884 One of those curious round weed-bushes known as ‘tumble weeds’. 1923 R. Kipling I. 222 They broke and disappeared in the rank weed-growth. 1931 10 Oct. 544/2 Methods of weed removal designed to eliminate hand work will result in savings of $30 to $150 per mile of track per year. 1934 A. Huxley 249 Lawrence wrote eloquently of Oaxaca and Lake Chapala,..of the merits of that rank weed-life of the natural man. ?1953 D. Thomas Let. in (1966) 416 In the slimy squid-rows of the sea there's such a weed-drift and clamour of old plankton drinkers. 1995 R. Cousens & M. Mortimer 292 The chemical used will depend on how cross-resistance changes from year to year, the density of the weed infestation and the prices of different products. the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [adjective] > affected by weed(s) the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > seashore or coast > [adjective] > type of the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > reclamation > [noun] > clearing land > weeding or weed control the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > [noun] > weeding tools 1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais ii. 32 I save the Expence of the Weed-grubbers. 1879 G. M. Hopkins (1967) 78 On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank. 1899 12 May 3/2 An endeavour is being made on the Test to have all weed-cutting completed by the middle of May. 1916 Sept. 468/2 A handy weed destroyer for use on the lawn is made of the handle of an old kitchen spoon and a broomstick. 1940 J. Betjeman 33 The light skiff is push'd from the weed-waving shore. 1950 1 May 40 (advt.) No more weed digging! You can ‘weed’ your whole lawn in less than one hour with End-o-Weed. 1991 May 69/1 (advt.) Spread around flowers, landscape plantings, and your garden, this shredded material makes a weed-killing, moisture-saving mulch. 2000 B. Kingsolver xvi. 247 She swiped her weed cutter at the dense stands of bristly seedpods. the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [adjective] > affected by weed(s) the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > [adjective] > hidden > by vegetation 1784 D. Robertson 62 Then why o'erflow Soft Pity's tears the weed-grown urn? 1799 T. Campbell ii. 201 O'er each Runic altar, weed-entwined. 1818 J. Keats i. 6 Weed-hidden roots. 1857 P. H. Gosse viii. 216 This weed-fringed tide-pool. 1870 H. Macmillan (1872) v. 188 The idleness of another is seen in the meagre, weed-choked produce of his neglected fields. 1897 R. Kipling iii. 57 The weed-hung flukes of the little anchor. 1898 O. Wilde 12 Every day Crawled like a weed-clogged wave. 1922 J. Joyce iii. xvii. [Ithaca] 667 In loose allwool garments..trundling a weedladen wheelbarrow. 1938 W. de la Mare 29 Roofless and eyeless, weed-sodden, dank, old, cold. 1953 L. Kuper 300 Waste land and weed-covered pit banks. 1968 E. A. McCourt xvii. 195 The inscriptions on the wooden crosses in the weed-ridden settlement graveyard. 2001 P. D. James (2002) 8 [I] saw..the dark lines of the old weed-encrusted groynes crumbling into the sea. C2. the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > burning > products of burning > [noun] > ashes or cinders > specific ashes 1841 Oct. 251/2 Immense quantities of sea-weed were annually collected and burnt for the purpose of obtaining weed-ash, kelp, or barilla, as the crude salt was called. 1877 103 68 The seaweed ashes of England and France (Kelp, Varec) have become less remunerative to the producers. Formerly these weed ashes served to supply a considerable part of the demand for the salts of potash. 1665 (Royal Soc.) 1 13 They went into the Weed-beds of the Gulf of Florida. 1820 J. Clare 153 Flow on, thou gently plashing stream, O'er weed-beds wild and rank. 1960 2 July 11/2 More good trout have been lost in attempts to prevent them reaching weedbeds than have been lost in efforts to get them out. 2002 Oct. 89/2 Muskellunge frequent the lake's shallow weed beds. the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > reclamation > [noun] > clearing land > weeding or weed control 1908 H. L. Bolley (Govt. Agric. Exper. Station N. Dakota Bull. No. 80) (subtitle) Weed control by means of chemical sprays. 1973 Sept. 74/2 For row crops..the self-propelled Zapper is presently economic only when chemical weed-control costs are higher than $15 per acre. 2005 Dec. 45/1 Walnut trees..release a chemical called juglone, which inhibits the growth of nearby plants. It is a form of natural weed control commonly called allelopathy. 1848 E. S. Dixon 147 The service they [sc. Bernicle geese] may render as weed-eaters should not be forgotten. 1898 Feb. 6 Of all kinds of stock, sheep are probably the most valuable as weed eaters. 1959 26 Apr. 21/7 Many weed eaters prefer lambs quarter to spinach as a cooked vegetable. 1972 7 June a17/9 (advt.) Weed Eater is here! 1973 26 July c2/2 Among the items purchased for use at the Presidential complex at Key Biscayne were..an electric ‘weed eater’..and a rotary lawn mower. 1987 (Nexis) 27 May Scientists are releasing the grass carp, also a weed eater, in hydrilla-clogged irrigation canals in Southern California. 2015 A. Martin 24/1 Gasoline-powered lawn mowers emit ten to twelve times more hydrocarbons than automobiles... Weed eaters emit twenty-one times more. the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > reclamation > [adjective] > cleared > free of weeds 1840 5 Aug. 128/5 Farmers would be gratified could they have their lands tax free; but experience shows that to have them weed free, would be of far greater importance to them. 1891 1 Oct. 7 Be careful to sow only weed-free seeds. 1960 22 Mar. 56/3 It is the modern alternative..to secure weed-free cropping. 1981 M. Sellers i. 7 A well-planned and weed-free vegetable garden. 2017 (Nexis) 4 Nov. Once the area is reliably weed-free, cultivate the ground and add compost. 1970 E. Ball & P. W. Ball iii. 48 The propeller is not immediately accessible unless a weed hatch is fitted as on some canal boats though you are less likely to be menaced by weeds on the Thames than by plastic bags or rope. 1994 May 70/2 Weed hatches were pretty well unknown then, and one of the crew members was despatched over the side. 2012 T. Jones xi. 138 Each year many boats sink or narrowly avoid sinking because the lid to the weed hatch has not been adequately secured. the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > [noun] > drug-user > user of marijuana 1939 643/1 These men..have a reputation..of being weed-heads. Anybody who doesn't know what a weed-head is—that's a marihuana fiend. 1966 C. Himes xx. 157 Weedheads jabbered and gesticulated. 2017 (Nexis) 20 Aug. a4 Being an Uber driver is dicey business, especially when you're dealing with stoners and weedheads. the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > reclamation > [noun] > clearing land > weeding or weed control > weeder 1884 27 Aug. The weed inspector for the Millbrook quarter will find a large field for operation on the Canada thistle. 1909 Nov. 702/2 The writer, in his capacity as weed-inspector, has had..to direct the settlers to plough under entire fields of growing grain in order to eradicate such weeds. 1992 (Nexis) 6 Sept. Rat's tail grass is equalling groundsel as a menace, in the eyes of the Maroochy Shire Council weed inspectors. 2014 (Nexis) 14 Mar. a1 The additional money would be used for technology improvements to help the county's eight part-time weed inspectors keep track of problems. the world > life > death > killing > killer of nature > [noun] > herbicide the world > life > death > killing > killer of nature > [noun] > herbicide > arsenic 1745 W. Ellis II. July xi. 88 Such Wheat commonly runs up into such rank Stalks, as to become great Weed-killers. 1837 25 Feb. 62/1 The plough is a more expeditious weed killer than the hoe. 1887 19 Mar. 376/2 (advt.) Weed-killer, for destroying Weeds on Carriage Drives, Garden Walks, Yards, &c. 1967 B. Patten 46 Who poured weedkiller over your innocence? 2003 24 May 61/2 Glyphosate weedkillers such as Round-up are very effective, but they will kill any plant they come into contact with. 1888 W. Walker ii. 31 From its position and configuration it is not often that a satisfactory breeze can be got to curl the water on the weed line. 1918 L. St. John vii. 99 Don't overlook the ‘pockets’ or indentations in the edge of the weed line, because that is where the big fellows are likely to be loafing. 1994 Summer 16/1 Neutral or semi-active fish cling to inside turns along the weedline or just inside the weed edges. 2012 J. Unkart vi. 110 Weedlines tend to form after a couple days of calm weather following storms. 1855 J. B. Walker i. iv. 48 It was an age of weed-trees, with innumerable plants of the cactus genus as an undergrowth. 1932 17 Sept. 4/6 The cutting is always done selectively, large trees being taken for saw timber for new buildings and repairs, and weed trees and defective trees for fuel. 1974 Jan. 120/2 Conservationists cringe upon hearing hardwood trees, the noble oaks and elms.., referred to as ‘weed trees’. 1990 1 Dec. (Weekend FT section) 19/7 Hollies..will reproduce freely from self-grown seed; in fact..they have become weed trees almost on the scale of sycamore. 2007 G. Breining ii. 34 The weed tree that grows where nothing else wants to grow... The ghetto tree—Pinus monotonous. 1892 E. A. Carman et al. (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 830 The farmer..who regards sheep merely as a brush browser and weed trimmer. 1895 145 (table) Tools, etc., for Streets and Sewerage... Grass Cutters..Weed Trimmers. 1930 P. G. Holden 25 Sheep and goats are weed trimmers and help to keep a pasture clean, but they don't entirely take the place of the mowing machine and scythe. 1932 Apr. 124/2 (advt.) The great Ideal line of power mowers now comprises more than six models, including four roller types, two wheel types. Weed trimmer and rubber tires available for wheel types. 1976 8 Dec. c8/1 (advt.) Weed trimmer... Easy-to-use, lightweight. Handle adjusts. Nylon cord. 2012 M. Clarke iii. 17 He reached for the weed trimmer and turned it to check the gas level. 1988 W. J. Chancellor & S. R. Francis vi. §F.1 Region-D... Cultivation-Weed Control... Only have to mow or weed whack around emittors before harvest. 1994 (Nexis) 17 Sept. d4 He goes over his..lawn with an electric mower like a man hunting coins with a metal detector. He weed-wacks the fringes. 1995 Sept. 15/3 It takes time to weedwhack through the Internet's overgrowing and ever-expanding briar. 2004 J. Sills vii. 186 Amy needed to weed-whack her old, familiar refrain ‘I don't deserve better’. 2014 S. Costa xii. 234 ‘Joe,’ I went on, wondering about the back-ground sounds of machinery on his end... Was he weed-whacking? 1976 15 Feb. f1 (advt.) Save $10 on the worksaving weedwacker... The Craftsman Weedwacker really goes after the problem lawn! Trims with heavy monofilament line. 1999 J. L. Lumley (2000) v. 136 Los Angeles County recently passed an ordinance outlawing weed-whackers because of their high emissions level. 2010 T. N. Batson xi. 58 A man with a weed-whacker began attacking an overgrown front lawn, chips of grass fanning out onto the street. 1944 May 37/2 To keep the waistline in shape, you have to keep the hoe really hot. The price you'll pay for weed-whacking and clod-breaking. 1992 Mar. 3/1 When you strip off the bark and cambium in a ring all the way around the base of your tree, by weed-whacking or scraping a lawn mower around its base, you have girdled the tree. 2014 D. Freeman 26 On level ground, stringtrimming (weed-whacking to the commoner) is no trouble at all. 1954 23 Apr. 13/1 (advt.) Weedwhip, regular 1.49. 1976 30/2 The Hardware Division has developed the industry's first cordless ‘Weedwhip’ a nylon cord, grass and weed trimmer. 1979 Mar. 79/1 Fashion a weed whip from an old hacksaw blade and a broomstick. Bend the blade into a loop and fasten it to the stick (golf-club fashion). 2016 M. Rubens iv. 41 Another member of the lawn crew,..armed with a gas-powered weed whip,..trimming the fringe around a nearby tree. Derivatives the world > plants > valued plants and weeds > [adjective] > resembling or consisting of weed(s) 1713 J. S. (ed. 2) 26 For not thy Prize alone thou must engage, But war with Weeds, and weedlike Trash must wage. 1729 R. Savage ii. 56 Up-sprung, such weed-like Coarseness it betrays, Flocks on th' abandon'd Blade permissive graze. 1863 N. Hawthorne I. 16 The weedlike decay and growth of our localities. 1997 L. Yablonsky 14 Benches bolted to the sidewalk face the stoop of my building between spindly, weed-like trees. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022). weedn.2Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian wēd garment, Old Dutch wāt garment, clothing (Middle Dutch waet cloth, chiefly in lijnwaet linen; Dutch waad , now only in lijnwaad linen), Old Saxon wād clothing (Middle Low German wāt ), Old High German wāt garment, clothing (Middle High German wāt garment, clothing, cloth, early modern German wat ), Old Icelandic váð garment, cloth, fishing-net (Icelandic voð cloth, fishing-net), Old Swedish vāþ garment (Swedish våd piece of cloth), Danish regional vaad fishing-net, and (with different stem-class) Old Frisian wēde garment, Old Dutch wādi garment, clothing (Middle Dutch wāde , Dutch wade , now chiefly in lijkwade shroud), Old Saxon wādi clothing (Middle Low German wēde ), further etymology uncertain and disputed. Compare i-wede n.Further etymology. The Germanic noun is perhaps < an ablaut variant (lengthened grade) of the Indo-European base of Lithuanian ūdis textile fabric, austi to weave (perhaps ultimately < the same Indo-European base as weave v.1); or perhaps < an ablaut variant (lengthened grade) of the Germanic base of Old High German wetan , Gothic ga-widan , both in the sense ‘to join together, bind’ < the same Indo-European base as Byzantine Greek ἐθμοί bonds, Early Irish feidil , Welsh gwedd , both in the sense ‘yoke’. Form history. In Old English usually a strong feminine (i -stem) wǣd ; a strong neuter (ja -stem) wǣde is also attested. (In the continental Germanic languages the differences (including those of gender) between the original stem-classes have been obscured by subsequent analogical developments.) The Older Scots form wod is either influenced by or borrowed from early Scandinavian; compare also waith n.3 With the form wide compare discussion at weed n.1 I. General uses. 1. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] > garment or article of OE Ælfric (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxxiv. 289 Martinus me bewæfde efne mid ðyssere wæde. lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius (Bodl.) (2009) I. xxviii. 300 Ðeah nu se unrihtwisa cyning Neron hine gescyrpte mid eallum þam wlitegestum wædum. c1230 (?a1200) (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 162 For þi þet ha hefde ileanet to a wake a wummon an of hire weden. a1325 (c1250) (1968) l. 1972 He..boden him sen, If his childes wede it migte ben. a1375 (c1350) (1867) l. 2563 Ȝif we walken in þes wedes..what man so vs metes may vs sone knowe. c1400 (?c1390) (1940) l. 2358 Hit is my wede þat þou wereȝ, þat ilke wouen girdel. c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 119 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale (1930) 863 (MED) Of sadde leues of þe wode wrowȝte he hem wedes. ?a1475 (1922) 152 (MED) I am wrappyd in a wurthy wede. 1569 J. Sanford tr. H. C. Agrippa xxv. 36 There was an obstinate strife..concerning the habite, or apparrel of S. Augustine, that is to saie, whether he did weare a blacke weede vpon a white Coate, or a white weede vpon a blacke Coate. 1614 W. Camden (rev. ed.) 233 They..began to wanton it in a new round curtall weede which they called a Cloake. a1625 J. Fletcher Pilgrim v. vi, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher (1647) sig. Iiiii3/2 To my house now, and suite you to your worths; Off with these weeds, and appeare glorious. 1706 Life Piper Kilbarcham in J. Watson i. 35 On Sabbath days his Cap was fedder'd, A seemly Weid. 1764 H. Walpole v. 182 One in a long woollen weed. a1807 W. Wordsworth (1959) iii. 96 Spare diet, patient labour, and plain weeds. 1846 J. Keble 278 Her innocent vesture, the pure Chrisom weed. 1912 J. Stephens xxvii. 172 The draperies which adorned a portly lady were but pitiable weeds when trailed by her attenuated sister. 1972 28 July 30/1 The mail-order hate-you-fancy-pants clothes which once he wore had been replaced by tailored weeds. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] OE 103 Þæt þam gengum þrym gad ne wære wiste ne wæde in woruldlife. c1175 (Burchfield transcript) l. 3677 He wollde shridenn uss Wiþþ heofennlike wæde. c1225 (?OE) (Worcester) (Fragm. B) l. 9 Hwar beoþ nu þine wæde þe þ[u] wel lufedest? c1300 (?c1225) (Cambr.) (1901) l. 1052 We schulle chaungi wede: Haue her cloþes myne, & tak me þi sclauyne. c1300 St. Mary of Egypt (Laud) l. 160 in C. Horstmann (1887) 265 Ne wilne þou nouȝt þat ich þe a-bide for ich am with-oute wede. c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xxiii. l. 211 Lacke shal þe neuere Wede ne wordliche [emended in ed. to worldlich] mete. a1450 (?a1390) J. Mirk (Claud.) (2009) 11 Y stalle away in pore wede. 1551 R. Crowley sig. Biv Wyllynge that eche should at his nede, Haue breade and Broth, harbour and wede. 1577 M. Hanmer tr. Socrates Scholasticus ii. xxxiii, in 292 A little before he had bene deposed..for apparelling himselfe in such weede as was not decent for the dignity & order of priesthood. 1595 E. Spenser sig. D2v For each mans worth is measured by his weed. 1616 G. Chapman tr. Musaeus sig. F6 This sayd, his faire Limbes of his weede, he strip't. 1788 R. Burns (1968) I. 414 Be thou clad in russet weed. 1868 W. Morris i. 325 Who robbed me, and with blows Stripped off my weed and left me on the way. the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > [noun] > a covering > like a garment OE (Northumbrian) Liturgical Texts (Durham Ritual) in A. H. Thompson & U. Lindelöf (1927) 103 Deus qui uestimentum salutare et indumentum aeterne iocunditatis tuis fidelibus promisisti : god ðu ðe woede haluoende & gigerila eces wynsumnis' ðinum gileaffullum gihehtest. c1225 (?OE) (Worcester) (Fragm. E) l. 10 Þu scalt rotien and brostnian, þine bon beoþ bedæled [of þ]ære wæde þe heo weren to iwunede. a1350 in G. L. Brook (1968) 29 Þis wrakeful werkes vnder wede, in soule soteleþ sone. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) v. l. 6209 Sche flih before his yhe a Crowe..To kepe hire maidenhede whit Under the wede of fethers blake. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 1431 O blake nyght..That shapen art by god þis world to hide At certeyn tymes with þi derke wede. a1439 J. Lydgate (Bodl. 263) viii. l. 2862 (MED) Whan Fortune makth best cheere And falsli smylith in hir double weede..than is she most to dreede. c1500 in R. H. Robbins (1952) 224 Theyre gall ys hyd vndyr a sugryd wede. 1567 J. Jewel ii. 221 Therefore the Greekes calle Baptisme, ἀϕθαρσίας ἔνδυμα, That is, the Weede of immortalitie. 1600 W. Shakespeare ii. i. 256 And there the snake throwes her enammeld skinne, Weed wide enough to wrappe a Fairy in. View more context for this quotation a1618 W. Raleigh (1644) 116 Being stripped out of this mortall weed. 1640 T. Carew 168 Thy skin's a heavenly and immortall weede. 1786 R. Burns 24 Aft, clad in massy, siller weed, Wi' Gentles thou erects thy head. 1793 R. Burns (1968) II. 704 How cheery, thro' her shortening day, Is Autumn in her weeds o' yellow. 1805–6 H. F. Cary tr. Dante xxxiii. 60 Father,..thou gavest These weeds of miserable flesh we wear; And do thou strip them off from us again. 1855 W. Tait (new ed.) I. iii. 33 The Son of the blessed God.., veiling his royal majesty in the weeds of mortal flesh, laboured and travailed and died on this wretched earth. the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > [noun] > a covering > cloth or textile OE (1932) 375 Wedercandel swearc, windas weoxon, wægas grundon, streamas styredon, strengas gurron, wædo gewætte. c1175 (Burchfield transcript) l. 8171 All þatt wæde þatt tær wass. Vpp o þe bære fundenn All wass itt off þe bettste pall. tr. Palladius (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. l. 830 Eek as for hail a russet weede is To kest vpon the querne [L. Panno roseo mola cooperitur]. c1540 (?a1400) (2002) f. 7v And þan sylen to sitte vppon silke wedis. 1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil iii. 47 With black weede the altar is hanged. II. Specific and contextual uses. society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > [noun] OE (2008) 1897 Þa wæs on sande sægeap naca hladen herewædum, hringedstefna, mearum ond maðmum. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon (Calig.) (1978) l. 11864 Þe king mid his weden [c1300 Otho wede] leop on his stede. c1330 (?c1300) (Auch.) l. 1727 He armede him in yrene wede. a1375 (c1350) (1867) l. 3535 Was non so stif stelen wede þat with-stod his wepen. c1425 (c1400) l. 3994 (MED) Thei..drow out horses and stedes And here strong Iren wedes. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour (St. John's Cambr.) xvi. 580 A chemeyr, for till heill his veid, Aboue his armyng had he then. 1488 (c1478) Hary (Adv.) (1968–9) ii. l. 112 The thrid he straik throuch his pissand of maile The crag in twa; no weidis mycht him waill. c1500 Lyfe Roberte Deuyll 910 in W. C. Hazlitt (1864) I. 254 Greate horses stamped in yron wedes. c1550 (1830) ii. l. 885 Ane Knicht cumand thai ken, Lucent as lampe and leming in his weid. ?c1600 (c1515) Sc. Field (Lyme) l. 365 in I. F. Baird (D.Phil. thesis, Univ. of Birm.) (1990) 245 They will sticke with their standarts in their stele weedes. 1611 W. Austin in T. Coryate sig. g5v His garments.., Which heretofore like weedes of proofe Serued him to keepe the colde aloofe. 1813 W. Scott iii. xx. 159 Oh for his arms! Of martial weed Had never mortal Knight such need! 5. society > faith > artefacts > monastic garb > [noun] society > faith > artefacts > pilgrim's garb > [noun] OE Wulfstan (Corpus Cambr.) (1972) xlvi. 10 We lærað þæt mæssepreosta oððe mynsterpreosta ænig ne cume binnan circan dyre ne binnan weohstealle buton his oferslipe, ne huru æt þam weofode þæt he þar þenige buton þare wæde. c1325 (c1300) (Calig.) l. 4918 Sire bissop wu ne ȝifstus of þine wite brede Þat þou est þi sulf at þi masse in þine vayre wede. a1425 Ordination of Nuns (Lansd.) in E. A. Kock (1902) 141 (MED) Þai sall aray hir in þat wede þat sho sall vse þe first ȝere to sho be profest. a1450 (Vesp.) (1902) l. 1338 If ane so for wikkid dede Leue hir abbay & hir wede. 1490 W. Caxton tr. (1885) xxi. 459 He shet the dore of his chapell, and toke his wede & his staffe. 1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione ii. sig. Z.ij The frier..beesought me to lett him goe downe, and not to showe suche shame to the weede. 1706 (new ed.) Weed or Wede, a Garment or Suit of Cloaths; whence it is still us'd for a Frier's Habit. 1766 H. Brooke II. viii. 70 I gave her two pence; reassumed my former garb; and left my weeds in her custody. b. With modifying word or phrase. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > distinctive of sex, profession, or state of life OE (Claud.) vi. li. 258 Gif for godbotan feohbot ariseð.., þæt gebyreð rihtlice..to wæde & to wiste þam þe Gode þeowian & to bocan & to bellan & to cyricwædan. c1330 (?c1300) (Auch.) l. 3853 Twelf kniȝtes Saber let atile In palmer is wedes euerichon. c1390 (a1376) W. Langland (Vernon) (1867) A. vi. l. 7 Apparayled as a Palmere In pilgrimes wedes. c1450 in C. L. Kingsford (1905) 129 Sche eschapede thens in a mannys weeds. a1470 T. Malory (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 999 They..saw the good man in a relygious wede. 1570 B. Googe tr. T. Kirchmeyer iii. f. 39v Who can declare the massing weedes? 1590 E. Spenser i. Proem sig. A2 Whose Muse whylome did maske..In lowly Shephards weeds. 1650 J. Howell tr. A. Giraffi i. 89 I wold never have shaken off my mariners weeds. 1667 J. Milton iii. 479 They who to be sure of Paradise Dying put on the weeds of Dominic. View more context for this quotation 1673 E. Hickeringill 74 A Conformist Minister with all his Aaronical weeds on. 1763 C. Johnstone (new ed.) II. 104 Though he was habited in the humble weeds of a slave. 1781 W. Cowper 81 In shirt of hair and weeds of canvass dress'd. 1803 Jan. 19/1 A Mundivagant mendicant, nay, a cosmopolite, who was..clad in hermetical weeds. 1838 W. H. Prescott III. ii. xxi. 298 The spirit of the soldier burned strong and bright under his monastic weeds. 1912 C. Johnston x. 164 The poet..tells his cousin Mnesilochus that he will try to persuade the effeminate poet Agathon to put on woman's weeds. 2000 (Nexis) 19 Jan. 13 The Dior ateliers had overworked precious fabrics to resemble threadbare weeds of the dispossessed. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > distinctive of sex, profession, or state of life c1330 (?c1300) (Auch.) l. 1721 (MED) Gij seye a man of rewly ble Go in pilgrims wede. a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) l. 23981 Wede o welth wil i namar, Clething wil i me tak o care. ?c1450 (1891) l. 6548 Þat day þat cuthbert toke bischop wede. 1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe f. 276v Such as are buryed in the cowle & weede of a Franciscane Fryer. 1587 A. Fleming et al. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1280/2 Wherin also is buried John Yoong..in his doctors weed. 1605 P. Erondelle sig. G3v It is not the weed yt maketh the monke. c1650 J. Spalding (1850) I. 35 This wes the ordinary weid of thir his Majesteis foot guard. 1684 J. Bunyan ii. 153 They neither have the Pilgrim's Weed nor the Pilgrim's Courage. 1859 Ld. Tennyson Enid in 81 This poor gown, This silken rag, this beggar-woman's weed. 6. In plural. society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > widow or widower > [noun] > widow > widow's clothes the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > for specific purpose > mourning > for nearest relatives > for widows a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 177 Folk..That here bihelden yn here blake wede. c1450 (a1425) (Selden) l. 1081 (MED) Hyr wedow wedes scho layd away. 1595 W. S. v. i. 24 Let her there prouide her mourning weeds And mourn for euer her owne widdow-hood. 1607 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Serres in tr. ii. 1005 They giue it out, that the Lord of Pont was slaine in his voyage to Langres. His Wife puts on a Mourning weede. a1627 T. Middleton More Dissemblers besides Women i. i. in (1657) 1 Here sits she in Funeral weeds, Onely bright in vertuous deeds. 1706 (new ed.) Weed or Wede, a Garment or Suit of Cloaths; whence it is still us'd for..a Widow's Vail. 1748 S. Richardson VI. cxvii. 372 What a charming widow would she have made! How would she have adorned the weeds! 1836 C. Dickens 2nd Ser. 127 The mother wore a widow's weeds. 1848 W. M. Thackeray (1850) I. iii. 28 There were no entertainments..during the year of her weeds. 1887 (1888) 428 He had heard the cook remark..that his mother would now wear weeds. 1914 20 June 20/3 She is the most handsomely gowned widow I ever saw. She looks charming in her weeds. 1955 ‘P. Dennis’ ii. 28 It took Auntie Mame the better part of two hours to get into her weeds but she said she wanted to look right. 2001 (Nexis) 1 Dec. (Good Weekend section) 32 Graham is dead, but I'm not going to throw myself on the funeral pyre or recline on the sofa in black widows' weeds. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > for specific purpose > mourning the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for head or neck or body > [noun] > scarf > types of c1485 ( G. Hay (2005) 55 Than cled thai thame jn clething of sekkis, and jn wedis of doloure. 1531 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece (1941) II. x. xi. 53 The tothir sall pas in dolorous weid on ane blak hors. 1546 in J. Strype (1721) II. App. A. 4 Commandment was given..to..put on them every man his mourning weeds. 1592 T. Kyd i. sig. B2v Let Fortune doe her worst, She will not rob me of this sable weed. 1603 H. Petowe sig. A4 Then weepe no more, Your sighing weedes put off. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini 289 Being clad in a long mourning weed, he appeared in the Colledge of the Litterati. 1717 A. Pope Elegy Unfortunate Lady in 360 What tho' no friends in sable weeds appear, Grieve for an hour, perhaps, then mourn a year. a1796 R. Burns (1968) I. 341 A stately Form, In weeds of woe. 1852 H. B. Stowe II. xxviii. 129 A long strip of black crape, torn from the funeral weeds. 1893 K. D. Wiggin (1894) xi. 121 She had a coachman and a footman, both with weeds on their hats, and she seemed very sad and grave. 1918 L. Wolcott 193 He was dressed up slick, like a city man, an' he had a weed on his hat an' a cane in his hand. 1996 17 Feb. 30/2 Perhaps widower's weeds might be the groovy thing to take me into the twilight home. 2017 (Nexis) 23 May c5 The next time we see Hamlet, he will have forsaken his Western mourning weeds for traditional Iranian garb. Phrasesthe world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adverb] a1275 in C. Brown (1932) 29 Þe fifte ioie is feirest in wede þo þov in-to heuene trede to him þat was of þe iborn. c1330 (?c1300) (Auch.) (1937) l. 30 Two ladyes..Þat worthy were in wede. a1375 (c1350) (1867) l. 585 Of lumbardie a dukes douȝter ful derworþ in wede. a1425 (c1333–52) L. Minot (1914) 32 Iohn of Coupland, a wight man in wede. c1440 (Thornton) (1949) l. 407 Many bald man and wyghte, And wyse vndir wedis [a1500 Cambr. wede]. a1500 (?a1400) (1887) l. 2397 One of the ffeyrest knyghtis That slepith on somer nyghtes Or walkyd in wede. a1586 (?a1550) Murning Maiden 55 in W. A. Craigie (1919) I. 361 Than wepit scho lustie in weyd. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online December 2021). weedn.3 Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: wedenonfa' n. Etymology: Shortened < wedenonfa' n., apparently by misapprehension of the word as a phrase weed an' onfa' (compare quot. c1830 at sense 1).With the form wyde compare discussion at weed n.1 Originally and chiefly Scottish and Irish English ( northern). the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > fever > [noun] > attack of 1753 G. Young xiii. 67 A Weed is another ailment to which women in child-bed are liable, and opium is the best cure. a1779 D. Graham (1883) II. 19 The weed and gut gaes thro' my flesh like lang needles, nails or elshin irons. 1790 A. Duncan 5 300 It may be difficult.., in the beginning, to distinguish puerperal fever from accumulations of fæces in the alimentary canal, especially if joined to an Ephemera, or Weed. 1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor xi, in 3rd Ser. I. 313 Dinna ye hear the bairn greet? I'se warrant it's that dreary weid has come ower't again. 1830 W. Carleton II. 177 Besides, I'm a bit bothered on both sides o' my head, ever since I had that weary weed. c1830 in (1916) 86 Ephemeral colds, vulgarly called weeds and onfas. 1850 C. D. Meigs i. 19 She had a lump in her breast; she had a weed in her breast, and did not know it. 1897 P. H. Hunter iii. 37 Wullie Johnson's wife..was doun wi' a weed an no' like to win roun'. 1903 ‘S. MacPlowter’ 36 Whan I hed the weed last Januar's a twalmont'. 1910 17 691/1 ‘Weed of the breast’ occurs so often during lactation and gives so much pain that every woman in the world should know this simple, safe remedy. 1958 R. B. Browne 12 For weed in women's breasts. 2002 A. M. Kass viii. 158 The women and midwives of Aberdeen opposed these active remedies, believing that the epidemic was an ephemeral fever known as ‘the Weed’, for which bleeding and purging were deemed inappropriate treatment. 2. the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle > [noun] > other disorders of cattle 1811 J. Trotter 168 Milch cows, however, are not unfrequently subject to what is here called a weed, which is a kind of feverish affection. 1895 26 July 98/3 This [sc. mammitis or garget] was generally the result of a chill, and in the initial stages was simply catarrh of the udder, or ‘weed’. 1910 P. McConnell xxv. 308 Mild cases of hard and swelled parts constitute ‘weed’ or catarrh of the udder. 1952 18 July There is the risk of the ewes in the flush of milk taking a weed in the udder. 2006 J. Fenton (ed. 3) 229 ‘Weed’, (in full) ‘the weed’, bovine mastitis. the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > disorders of legs > other disorders of leg 1841 W. Dick 88 There is also a tendency to grease, and to what has been designated a Weed, or Shot of grease, in the heavy draught breed. One of the legs, generally a hind one, suddenly swells. 1851 12 ii. 523 Irritation and inflammation of the absorbent vessels and glands..constituting the disease termed weed. 1896 J. Lumsden 22 Trockin' auld airn, banes an' bauchles, Limping wi' spavie, weeds, an' racks. 1908 III. 587 The class of horses most subject to weed is that with rough hairy legs, having coarse, round, gummy limbs. 1961 R. Seiden (ed. 2) 304/2 Sporadic L[ymphangitis], also called bigleg or weed, occurs chiefly in heavy-legged animals which have been held in the stall on full feed for a few days. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online December 2021). weedv.Inflections: Past tense and past participle weeded; Etymology: Cognate with or formed similarly to West Frisian wjudde , wjûde , Middle Dutch wieden (Dutch wieden ), Old Saxon wiodon (Middle Low German wēden , German regional (Low German) weden ) < the same Germanic base as weed n.1 In branch II. after weed n.1The occasional syncopated forms of the past tense and past participle (wed, wedd, etc.), attested from Middle English onwards, follow the model of e.g. feed v.; these are now only regional. In Old English the prefixed form awēodian to root out, extirpate (compare sense 4b and a- prefix1) is also attested. I. Senses relating to removing weeds. * Literal uses. the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > reclamation > [verb (intransitive)] > weed OE [implied in: (2011) 45 Runcatio, weodung. (at weeding n. 1a(a))]. lOE (Corpus Cambr.) ix. 454 Me mæig..on sumera fealgian.., tymbrian, wudian, weodian, faldian. c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. ix. l. 186 Thei..wenten as workmen to weden and mowen. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert f. xiii The chefe instrument to wede with is a payre of tonges made of wode. 1568 T. Hill (rev. ed.) ii. xxii. f. 84 If any by ignorance, doth weade about these plantes, wythoute Gloues on the handes. 1600 in J. Harland (1856) I. 128 A woman that helped to weydde in the garthinge iij days, iijd. 1652 S. Taylor 43 Let your furrowes be two foot asunder, that so you may with more safety goe between, to weed or remove as you still shall have occasion. 1732 G. Berkeley I. v. xxi. 310 Whoever hath a mind to weed will never want work. 1782 F. Burney IV. viii. v. 230 To the garden then they all went, and saw him upon the ground, weeding. a1853 F. W. Robertson (1880) vii. 73 When once the farmer has sown, he can do little more except weed. 1860 W. White xxix. 342 I saw boys digging, hoeing and weeding amid plentiful crops of cabbage and beans. 1972 J. Johnston 116 She had a little rubber mat, God love her, on which she used to kneel to weed. 2002 F. M. Bradley xiv. 191 As potato plants grow, their size makes it hard to weed between the rows. 2. the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > cultivate plants or crops [verb (transitive)] > weed or hoe the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > reclamation > reclaim [verb (transitive)] > clear land > weed land a1325 (Arun.) (1857) 156 Vostre lyn en tens sarchet [glossed] wed thi flax. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. lxv. 957 It nediþ þat corn be clenly weeded and clensed of..yuele wedis. tr. Palladius (Duke Humfrey) (1896) ii. l. 289 And wattre hem..Ek delue hem [al] aboute, and wede hem clene. c1450 (1905) II. 359 A man went to wede hys vynys. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert f. xiii How to wede corne. 1553 J. Brende tr. Q. Curtius Rufus iv. f. 34 They..came into his gardein..and found him weding of his ground. 1646–7 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark (1886) II. 94 To the gardener for weeding ye garden and the walkes. 1693 J. Evelyn tr. J. de La Quintinie i. i. iii. 5 Your small Plants, as Strawberries, Lettice, Succory, &c. require to be often Weeded, the better to perform their Duty. 1766 at Turnep I hand-hoed them once, and wed them twice. 1815 J. Smith II. 685 Weed the beds of onions, lettuces carrots, and leeks. 1858 J. Slight & R. S. Burn 328 The hand draw-hoe is used for weeding corn sown in rows. 1945 W. H. Auden i. 188 Weed the garden, wind the clock. 1988 D. Madden ix. 120 Jane planted a small vegetable garden and worked hard to weed and tend it. 2015 (Special Subscriber ed.) Aug. 87 A couple of days before you leave, weed borders, deadhead flowering plants, mow and edge the lawn and top up the pond. the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > reclamation > reclaim [verb (transitive)] > clear land > weed land > remove weeds from a1450 (a1449) J. Lydgate (1934) ii. 464 (MED) Eretikes han loste here frowardenesse, Wedid [a1500 Harl. 172 Wedyde] the cokle from the pure corne. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert f. xiiiv Dogfenell, goldes, mathes, and kedlokes are yll to wede after this maner. 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach i. f. 23 Sarrire, is to purge with the Rake. Runcare, is to weede out of the grounde noisome weedes. 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault iii. ii. 426 When the pippens are put foorth of the earth, and growne for the space of a yeere, take away the thornes and weede away all the weedes from amongst them as oft as you can. 1611 A. Standish 28 Weede the grasse cleane vp from about the rootes. 1628 W. Folkingham xi. 77 Like a discreet Damsell, which preserues wholesome Herbes, and weeds-vp hurtfull Weeds. 1710 D. Hilman Mar. 8 Wild Oats..are not easily weeded when in the Blade. 1766 ii. 146/1 The natural grass is to be considered as a weed, which, if not at first wed out of the ground, will soon destroy and overpower the artificial grass. 1838 4 Apr. 312/2 The weeds..were weeded up before they seeded. 1856 tr. H. Conscience Poor Gentleman iii. 42 in His son weeded the grass from the garden-walks. 1929 Jan. 39/2 This is a time when the unwary gardener is likely to lose the plant by not recognizing it and weeding it away. 1958 6 124 Antirrhinum asarina..became such a menace that I weeded it out of my screes and walls. 2000 V. P. Glenn 130 I do try to weed it [sc. Ground Ivy] out of the gardens by the house where the soil is loose. the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > pest control > remove vermin from [verb (transitive)] > remove (vermin) 1583 B. Melbancke (new ed.) sig. Tij v The Kite canne weede the worme, can kill the Moulewarpe. 1597 W. Shakespeare ii. iii. 166 Bushie, Bagot, and their complices, The caterpillers of the commonwealth, Which I haue sworne to weede and plucke away. View more context for this quotation the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > cultivate plants or crops [verb (transitive)] > thin out 1544 [implied in: Act 35 Henry VIII c. 17 §4 in (1963) III. 978 Persons..whch have..woodes or coppies..shall at the fellinge or wedinge thereof leave standinge..twelve trees of Oke. (at weeding n. 2a)]. 1794 J. Robertson vii. 106 The same acre, planted with common firs, and weeded down by various thinnings to 1140, and sold at the end of 80 years for 5s. each, would amount to £285. a1805 J. Elliot Flowers of Forest in W. F. Elliot (1906) 166 The Flowers of the Forest are weeded away [v.rr. a' wed away, a' wede away]. 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. To Weed, to thin growing plants by taking out the smaller ones; as, ‘to weed firs’. 1867 June 268/1 On the plains, the old, primeval trees have been cut down, the groves thinned, the thickets weeded away. 1985 S. J. Ter Borg in J. White 476 A 1 m2 plot was divided into four segments and weeded down to lower densities (25, 50, 75 and 100% of the original density). 2002 K. Klinka in (CAB International) 19 Overstocked P. banksiana seedling and sapling stands with 4950 or more trees per ha [= hectare] should be weeded or cleaned (pre-commercial thinning) to improve growth and development. ** Figurative uses. 4. the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > leave unoccupied [verb (transitive)] > clear out > clear of something undesirable c1400 (c1378) W. Langland (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvi. l. 17 Pacience hatte þe pure tre... Herte hatte þe erber [emended in ed. to herber] þat it in groweth, And liberum arbitrium hath þe londe to ferme, Vnder Piers þe plowman to pyken it and to weden it. c1450 in F. J. Furnivall (1867) 77 God! sowe þi merci amonge my seede, Þanne schal it growe þouȝ y sowe late, And Repentaunce my corne schal weede. ?1542 H. Brinkelow xxiii. sig. F6v The kyngs grace began wel to wede the garden of Ingland. 1579 R. Cox in W. Wilkinson sig. *jv That our Church of England might be well weeded from to to grosse errors. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. vii. 45 Prouided that you weed your better iudgements Of all opinion that growes ranke in them. View more context for this quotation 1662 J. Evelyn i. 10 It is not to shew how diligently we have weeded the Calepines, and Lexicons..but the result of much diligent collection. 1754 No. 139. 413 That conversation should be weeded of folly and impertinence. 1845 F. Marryat I. vii. 119 He weeded his army by picking out 1,000 of his veteran warriors..and putting them to death. 1879 J. A. Froude x. 110 The Senate was at once weeded of many of its disreputable members. 1911 14 Jan. 37/2 An afternoon's revision of the proofs..would have weeded them of the numerous blunders..which may mislead the general reader. 1924 30 May 662/1 There were six very striking young sows left after the judge had weeded the class. 2007 L. Lavan et al. 9 La Sainte-Chapelle..has now been extensively weeded of ‘bad art’ of the Byzantine period. the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > do away with or eradicate the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > remove or take away > selected undesirable things or persons 1526 W. Bonde ii. sig. Iiii By holy exercise of the same, plucketh out by the rotes, & wedeth awaye al the yuel customes of synne. a1568 R. Ascham (1570) i. f. 16 If wise fathers, be not as well waare in weeding from their Children ill thinges. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iii. i. 526 Twice trebble shame on Angelo, To weede my vice, and let his grow. View more context for this quotation 1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius 43 These customs savour of their antient Idolatry. The Ministers do all they can to weed it out of them by little and little. 1732 J. Swift Pastoral Dialogue in III. i. 36 My Spud these Nettles from the Stones can part, No Knife so keen to weed thee from my Heart. 1817 Ld. Byron iv. 12 I weed all bitterness from out my breast. 1863 E. Farmer (ed. 3) 27 The hounds have been ‘weeded’, some sold and some hung. 1968 28 June 1233/1 This would not only weed away the undesirables and the desperadoes, but result in less competition for tickets. 1986 A. Stoddard (1988) iii. 66 Just as we periodically have to weed old clothes out of our clothes closet, we need to do the same with cookware. 2008 (Nexis) 7 Sept. (Final ed.) 1 e It's rumored that less attractive girls are weeded from the group. 5. Scottish (chiefly literary). With away. the world > life > death > [verb (transitive)] > carry off by death 1796 H. Macneill ii. 16 Battle fast on battle raging, Wed our stalwart youths awa'. 1824 W. Scott 4 Apr. (1935) VIII. 244 How sad it is to see those whom we love gradually weeded away from the world in which we are left. 1835 R. Nicoll 47 Bairns, like things o'er fair for Death to wede away. 1851 A. Maclagan 225 If sad Fate before me should Wede him away. 1924 1 Feb. 3 Maist o' th' auld yins that used tae attend are a wede away. 2004 (Nexis) 25 June The gallant and the gentle were a' wede awa'. the world > life > death > [verb (intransitive)] 1824 J. Mactaggart 28 Ava my gude auld native parish, the Browns and the Sproats are a weedin awa. the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > petty theft or pilfering > pilfer [verb (transitive)] 1811 (at cited word) The kiddey weeded the swell's screens; the youth took some of the gentleman's bank notes. 1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in II. 224 An apprentice or shopman will weed his master's lob, that is take small sums out of the till. 1865 28/2 He had no ‘dummy’ on him then, it having been ‘weeded’ and ‘slung’ in the ‘dunnakin’ immediately after it was got. 1884 A. Pinkerton 53 With two fingers they can open the pocket-book while it is safely within the pocket, and with the first finger bent like a hook, will clean out the contents and leave the pocket-book apparently undisturbed; this operation is called ‘weeding a leather’. 1894 J. G. Littlechild xv. 158 Thus, in the case of a famous American bank robbery, he is suspected of having ‘weeded the swag’ to the amount of nearly £10,000. 1924 G. C. Henderson vi. 67 Many yeggs carry as much as a quart of the stuff [sc. nitroglycerin] ‘on their hip’, having boiled it up after ‘weeding’ it from a quarry or shop. 1955 D. W. Maurer in No. 24. 193 Some unscrupulous thieves have raised the art of weeding either a wallet or a bundle of scratch. 1990 V. Tupper & R. Wortley (Pandora Archive, National Libr. Austral., 12 Feb. 2015) Weeding the kick, opportunistically to take the spoils from someone else's crime. 7. the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > choose in specific way [verb (transitive)] > select from a number or for a purpose > separate valuable from worthless 1833 27 Sept. The wiseacres at Greenock were resolved to weed the library of all ‘pestiferous books’. 1874 H. Taylor Let. 30 Sept. in J. Brown (1912) 412 I am not sure that when I admired his poetry most, I did not admire his letters more, but like almost every collection of letters they should be weeded. 1939 O. P. Palmer & W. Fernand tr. T. Manteuffel in 2 210 Court records are kept for thirty years, as a rule, and are weeded only after that time has lapsed. 1961 July 503/2 Individual files can be weeded of duplicate, or draft papers. 1981 M. Pye 265 British files in London have been weeded with an eye to royal embarrassment. 2012 (Nexis) 13 July 7 The council regularly weeds its library material. 1880 29 June 7/6 Messrs Puttick & Simpson are about to sell by auction a number of books which the great art critic has weeded from his library. 1905 (Univ. Calif.) Dec. 140 He necessarily bought and otherwise accumulated duplicates, and these he several times weeded from his shelves. 1952 Sept. 68/1 The larger library may weed duplicates of books that would be useful in a smaller library. 1977 31 Aug. 4/1 The Ministry of Defence has begun a review of the way classified papers are written, filed, preserved (or ‘weeded’). 1992 C. A. Sheehy in G. B. McCabe viii. 83 Weeding old titles or adding new ones to these reserve collections would be a reference department function. 2008 E. O'Halpin Pref. p. viii All copies of and references to diplomatic decodes were normally weeded from the policy files of the various departments long before their release. 8. With down. the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > reduce in quantity or number > to short-list the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > choose in specific way [verb (transitive)] > select from a number or for a purpose > reduce to a shortlist 1850 31 May i. 2/6 The applicants numbered no less than 81. These were weeded down to four. 1869 15 May 5/4 It is understood that the number of candidates was weeded down to ten by the Committee. 1903 5 Oct. 8/1 Coach Burr Chamberlain..took charge of the men, and the squad was weeded down to about 25. 1962 J. Glenn in J. Glenn et al. 17 NASA asked us to take a series of tests which would help weed us down further. 1989 1 June 49/2 The process gives us an opportunity to weed down the collection to those books that really need to be within reach of the Reference Desk. 2009 (Nexis) 5 May (Sports section) 1 c Craig Leipold has weeded down a list of nearly 30 applicants to a handful of men who bring vastly different perspectives to the job. the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > decrease in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (intransitive)] > decrease in quantity or number 1877 R. H. Roberts v. 83 When the hounds are running breast high, and the field has weeded down to the select few. 1986 28 Wouldn't it be better to rehire 1,000 experienced air traffic controllers who could be brought up to speed in, say, 3 months to [a] year, rather than to wait for 2,900 to weed down to 1,000 over a 3-year period? 2005 (Nexis) 4 June 1 a Two members have died since last year's gathering. ‘It's slowly weeding down,’ Ashton said. II. Other senses. 9. Angling. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fish to be caught or as catch > movement of fish [verb (intransitive)] > movement of fish the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fish to be caught or as catch > movement of fish [verb (reflexive)] > movement of fish 1885 H. R. Francis in H. Cholmondeley-Pennell et al. (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) I. 312 He [sc. the grayling] bores steadily down toward the gravel, working mostly up stream, but rarely making a sudden rush or attempting to weed himself. 1889 F. M. Halford ix. 211 Do not be afraid of weedy places. Trout..seldom weed at night, probably because they do not see the angler. 1904 C. S. Patterson vi. 85 A boil, a strike, and I was into a good fish, which, being below me, at once weeded himself and got away. 1960 2 July 11/2 The risk of allowing a fish to weed itself is much reduced..if the weedbed lies upstream. 2013 K. Searock 166 Each time the fish weeded I was able to patiently hand-line him back out into relatively open water, and in the end I got him. 1889 F. M. Halford in H. Cholmondeley-Pennell et al. (Badminton Libr. Sports & Pastimes) (ed. 5) I. 377 The fish weed you, because you lose your presence of mind when they are first hooked. 1906 H. V. Hart-Davis vi. 34 The net somewhat too hurriedly shown him produces an effort on his part, and he has weeded you. 1921 30 Apr. 345/1 Don't get flurried or despairing if a trout weeds you in a place where you can't get at him. 1958 May 134 So he's weeded you—the bounder. He looked about a seven pounder. 1897 D. W. Benson Let. 20 Mar. in Fisheries of Colony: Rep. 1896 App. 9 in (1898) III Several of the best hauling grounds have weeded up. 1934 23 Feb. 295/2 These and other circumstances led to the river becoming obstructed through weeding up. 1967 115 599 If canals are converted into water channels, they will quickly silt and weed up and become not only unnavigable but also unfishable. 1984 L. Pelley 28/1 Their pastures must be mowed periodically because goats don't eat a sufficient amount of one thing to keep fields from weeding up and getting coarse. 2007 J. E. Moore 265 Most of the lake is fairly shallow, and begins to weed up by early summer. Phrasal verbs With adverbs in specialized senses. to weed out 1. the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > choose in specific way [verb (transitive)] > select from a number or for a purpose > separate valuable from worthless c1485 ( G. Hay (1993) iii. 22 Euill men suld be wedit out. 1532 T. More ii. p. clvi He wolde rather haue synne shewed..whereby it myght encreace and grow then..shewed in confessyon, where it myght be weeded out and caste away. 1546 sig. a.iiv Your highnesse..hath..supplanted, & as it were, weeded out a greate numbre of valiant and sturdie Munckes, fryers, [etc.]. 1600 J. Perrott ii. i. 29 To weede out the over-weening opinion thereof, wee will first beginne with thy linage and parentage. 1690 J. Locke §147 Where you may..gently correct and weed out any Bad Inclinations, and settle in him good Habits. 1738 G. Berkeley 14 Those who are so active to weed out the Prejudices of Education. 1856 9 June 9/3 [He] persists in his refusal to take office unless he gets guarantees that..he will have a free hand to weed out with merciless vigour the noxious parasites who encumber all spheres of administration. 1889 ‘J. S. Winter’ I. i. 5 She had her house, as heretofore, all her old society (excepting such as she had judiciously weeded out), and a great many new friends. 1901 15 Mar. 5/7 If a herd is to be made profitable, about one fourth of the cows must be weeded-out every year. 1950 D. B. Hertz xi. 260 Obsolete forms should be weeded out and the design of all forms examined periodically for functionality. 2007 (Midwest ed.) 19 Nov. iii. 4/1 Businesses..are stepping up efforts to weed out people who might have the right credentials but the wrong personality. 1895 (U.S. Bureau Educ.) 1008 The advantage of pasting on sheets folded in the middle is that they can at any time be readily bound and shelved with books in the class to which they belong. This relieves the scrap collection of some of its bulk, and, as has been, suggested, admits weeding out some sheets containing obsolete matter. 1915 (new ed.) 201 When the objectionable books have been weeded out, the task is to secure careful reading. 1939 O. P. Palmer & W. Fernand tr. T. Manteuffel in 2 210 The materials weeded out are subject to incineration. 1986 10 Jan. 8/1 More significant than what was in the papers is how many were held back. An unusually large proportion of the 1955 Cabinet papers have been ‘weeded out’. 2014 V. Uma & V. J. Suseela 164 All but the last copy of any published work may be weeded out if the following conditions are met. 2. the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > reclamation > reclaim [verb (transitive)] > clear land > weed land > remove weeds from 1557 T. Tusser sig. C.iii In Iune get thy wedehoke,..and wede out such wede, as the corne doth not loue. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini i. xvi. 27 So great abundance of weeds grew up in their Gardens, as not being any longer able to undergoe the charges they were at in weeding them out. 1759 P. Miller (ed. 7) at Gramen The only method in which I could succeed, was by sowing each Species in a distinct Pot, and when the Plants came up, to weed out all the other Kinds of Grass which come up in the Pots. 1849 27 Jan. i. 3/6 The farmer repudiated the usual mode of hoeing, or weeding them out..under an impression that he should get rid of the obnoxious intruders. 1895 D. H. Wheeler iv. 104 The gains of agriculture were all contained in the first discovery of the advantages of weeding out the less desirable growths. 1948 38 19 Young plants were coming up all over the floor of the greenhouse and I started systematically to weed them out, and thereafter kept the house clear of all except the main plant. 1983 (Nexis) 11 Dec. (Final ed.) h5 One of the worst things is that these megaseas spread about in a tiresome way and have to be weeded out. 2018 (Nexis) 8 Apr. The rest are the plants nature has gifted without permission or title deed. They are the type that need to be weeded out. the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > thin out 1721 W. Waller Let. 4 Apr. in R. Bradley I. 76 The first Thing I did..was to examine my Stock of Timber, and..to weed out such Trees, as were not capable of improving themselves. 1757 in R. Maxwell 158 When the Firs become hurtful to the better Trees, they may be weeded out for Use. 1791 W. Gilpin I. 85 If you want to shelter a nursery of young trees, plant Scotch firs: and the phrase is, you may afterwards weed them out, as you please. 1801 S. T. Coleridge (1956) II. 713 The great objection at present to the Planting of Oaks is their slow Growth (the young wood which is weeded out not paying sufficient for the Board & Lodging of the wood destined for Timber). 1885 15 Aug. 189/3 When trees are attacked in this way for a series of years,..the better plan is to weed them out gradually in order to give space for such as are found to be thriving better. 1912 E. Godfrey 63 The firs should be weeded out as the timber grows strong enough to hold its own. 1994 26 Nov. 31/1 Top of his list was ‘liberation thinning’—a method of weeding out noncommercial tree species to encourage growth of the commercially valuable trees. 2007 T. D. Vien in M. Cairns xxxvi. 440 Poorly performing trees are weeded out, while still maintaining a harvest density of 1,000 to 1,500 trees per hectare. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < |
