bed meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

bed

noun

US, UK /ˈbɛd/ · [ˈbeː]

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English bed, bedde, from Old English bedd, from Proto-West Germanic *badi, from Proto-Germanic *badją (“resting-place, plot of ground”). Cognates Cognate with Scots bed, North Frisian baad, beed, Bēr, Saterland Frisian Bääd, West Frisian bêd, Cimbrian pett, Dutch bed, Dutch Low Saxon bedde, German Bett, Bette, German Low German Bedd, Luxembourgish Bett, Vilamovian bet, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål bed, Faroese and Icelandic beð, beður, Norwegian Nynorsk bed, bedd, Swedish bädd, Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌳𐌹 (badi), all meaning “bed”. further possible etymology and cognates The Proto-Germanic term may in turn be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to dig”) with various theories explaining the development in meaning. If it is, the term is also cognate with Ancient Greek βοθυρος (bothuros, “pit”), Latin fossa (“ditch”), Latvian bedre (“hole”), Welsh bedd (“grave”), Breton bez (“grave”); and probably also Russian бодать (bodatʹ, “to butt, gore”).

30 senses

1A piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, on which to…
2A mattress.
3A bedframe.
4A prepared spot in which to spend the night.
5One's place of sleep or rest.
6Sleep; rest; getting to sleep.
7The time for going to sleep or resting in bed; bedtime.
8The equipment, staffing, etc., required for a patient in…
9Time spent in a bed.
10Marriage.
11Sexual activity.
12Clipping of bedroom.
13A place, or flat surface or layer, on which something…
14The bottom of a body of water, such as an ocean, sea…
15An area where a large number of oysters, mussels, other…
16A garden plot.
17A foundation or supporting surface formed of a fluid.
18The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.
19The platform of a truck, trailer, wagon, railcar, or…
20A shaped piece of timber to hold a cask clear of a…
21The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.
22The flat surface of a scanner on which a document is…
23A piece of music, normally instrumental, over which a…
24Any of the sections of a dartboard with a point value…
25The taut surface of a trampoline.
26A deposit of ore, coal, etc.
27The smallest division of a geologic formation or…
28The horizontal surface of a building stone.
29The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile.
30A course of stone or brick in a wall.

A piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, on which to rest or sleep.

My cat often sleeps on my bed.
I keep a glass of water next to my bed when I sleep.

1 more example

At length, one night, when the company by ſome accident broke up much ſooner than ordinary, ſo that the candles were not half burnt out, ſhe was not able to reſiſt the temptation, but reſolved to have them ſome way or other. Accordingly, as ſoon as the hurry was over, and the ſervants, as ſhe thought, all gone to ſleep, ſhe ſtole out of her bed, and went down ſtairs, naked to her ſhift as ſhe was, with a deſign to ſteal them[…].1762, Charles Johnstone, The Reverie; or, A Flight to the Paradise of Fools, volume 2, Dublin: Printed by Dillon Chamberlaine, →OCLC, page 202:

A mattress.

I find her bed too soft.

A bedframe.

That huge wood bed is too heavy for us to carry it that far.

A prepared spot in which to spend the night.

When camping, he usually makes a bed for the night from hay and a blanket.

Usually, After a preposition One's place of sleep or rest.

Go to bed!
I had breakfast in bed this morning.

Usually, After a preposition Sleep; rest; getting to sleep.

He's been afraid of bed since he saw the scary film.

Usually, After a preposition The time for going to sleep or resting in bed; bedtime.

I read until bed.

The equipment, staffing, etc., required for a patient in a medical institution.

We have a patient who needs a bed right away.

Time spent in a bed.

I am quite sure that too much bed, if not too much sleep, is prejudicial, though a certain amount is absolutely necessary.1903, Thomas Stretch Dowse, Lectures on Massage and Electricity in the Treatment of Disease, page 276:
Some prisoners, indeed, are always up before the bell rings — such was my practice — they prefer to grope about in the dark to tossing about in the utter weariness of too much bed.1907, Jabez Spencer Balfour, My Prison Life, page 181:

1 more example

This condition is one of the dangers of “too much bed”. The nurse should inspect the legs of each patient daily1972, James Verney Cable, Principles of Medicine: An Integrated Textbook for Nurses:

Figuratively Marriage.

George, the eldest son of his second bed.1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theater:

Figuratively Sexual activity.

Too much bed, not enough rest.

Abbreviation, Clipping Clipping of bedroom.

2 beds, 1 bath

A place, or flat surface or layer, on which something else rests or is laid.

The meats and cheeses lay on a bed of lettuce.

The bottom of a body of water, such as an ocean, sea, lake, or river.

sea bed
river bed

1 more example

There’s a lot of trash on the bed of the river.

An area where a large number of oysters, mussels, other sessile shellfish, or a large amount of seaweed is found.

Oysters are farmed from their beds.
I knew that there were kelp beds and reefs which could rip the bottoms from boats down in Skedans Bay.1941, Emily Carr, chapter 18, in Klee Wyck:

A garden plot.

We added a new bush to our rose bed.
Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 168:

A foundation or supporting surface formed of a fluid.

A bed of concrete makes a strong subsurface for an asphalt parking lot.

The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.

Automotive, Transport, Vehicles Canada, US The platform of a truck, trailer, wagon, railcar, or other vehicle that supports the load to be hauled.

The parcels were loaded onto the truck bed before transportation.

A shaped piece of timber to hold a cask clear of a ship’s floor; a pallet.

Media, Printing, Publishing Dated The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences The flat surface of a scanner on which a document is placed to be scanned.

A piece of music, normally instrumental, over which a radio DJ talks.

Darts, Games Any of the sections of a dartboard with a point value, delimited by a wire.

The taut surface of a trampoline.

These 5 judges mark the athlete's staying in the center of the bed, uniformity of bounce heights, and general style.2000, Sports: The Complete Visual Reference:

› A horizontal layer or surface.

Heading A deposit of ore, coal, etc.

Geography, Geology, Heading, Natural sciences The smallest division of a geologic formation or stratigraphic rock series marked by well-defined divisional planes (bedding planes) separating it from layers above and below.

Business, Construction, Heading, Manufacturing, Masonry The horizontal surface of a building stone.

the upper and lower beds

Business, Construction, Heading, Manufacturing, Masonry The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile.

Business, Construction, Heading, Manufacturing, Masonry A course of stone or brick in a wall.

Synonyms: bed, hay, kip, rack, sack
Derived terms: 318 terms
abed, air bed, alveolar bed, angel bed, ant-bed, apple-pie bed, arrester bed, asparagus bed, bark bed, bed and board, bed and breakfast, bed-and-breakfast → B&B-ing, B&B deal, B&B transaction, bed bath, bed blocker, bed blocking, bedboard, bedbound, bedbox, bed-breaking, bedbug, bedchair, bedchamber, bed check, bed-closet, bedclothes, bedclothing, bedcord, bedcover, bedcovering, bedcurtain, beddable, bedder, bedding, beddy, bedfast, bedfellow, bedform, bedframe, bedful, bedgown, bedground, bed hair, bedhanging, bedhead, bed head → bed-headed, bed-hop → bed-hopper, bed in, bed-in, beditation, bedjacket, bedkey, bedknob, bedless, bedlight, bedlike, bed linen, bedlinen, bedliner, bedload, bedlock, bedmaker, bedmaking, bedmate, bed-mould, bed moulding, bednet, bed of down, bed of honour, bed of justice, bed of nails, bed of roses, bed out, bed pad, bedpan, bedpartner, bedpiece, bedplate, bedpost, bed push, bedquilt, bedrail, bedrel, bedrest, bed rest, bedridden, bedrite, bedrobe, bedrock, bedroll, bedroom → bedsit, bed-sitter, bedsitter, bed-sitting room, bed rot, bed rotting, bed ruffle, bed screw, bedset, bed settee, bedshare, bedsheet, bedside, bedsite, bedskirt, bedsock, bedsore, bedspace, bed spacing, bedspread, bedspring, bedstaff, bedstand, bedstead, bedstock, bedstone, bedstraw, bed surfing, bed surf → bed surfer, bedswerver, bedtable, bed tea, bedtick, bedtop, bed trick, bed truck, bed urinal, bed wagon, bedward, bedwards, bedwarmer, bedwear, bed wench, bedwetter, bedwetting, bed-wettingly, bed-wet → bed-wetter, bed-wetting, bedwise, bedwork, bedworthy, bed wrench, biobed, bonebed, bottomset bed, box-bed, box bed, breakfast in bed, bridebed, bring to bed, bunk bed, cabin bed, camp bed, canopy bed, capillary bed, chair bed, Chesterfield bed, childbed, child bed, child-bed, clawbed, claybed, coal bed, co-bed, come to bed, come-to-bed, creekbed, creek bed, cryobed, day bed, daybed, deathbed conversion, deathbed, dirt bed, divan bed, divorce from bed and board, dog bed, double bed, ebullating bed, family bed, featherbed, field bed, filter bed, flatbed, flower-bed, flowerbed, fluidized bed, footbed, four-poster bed, French bed, full bed, gatch bed, Gatch bed, get out of bed on the wrong side, get up on the wrong side of the bed, go to bed → go to bed with, …with the chickens, …with the sun, granny-pop-out-of-bed, green-bed, hay bed, hide-a-bed, hog bed, Hollywood bed, hospital bed, hot bed, hotbed, in bed → in bed with, interbed, interbedded, in the bed, Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, John-go-to-bed-at-noon, kelp bed, keybed, key bed, kick someone out of bed, lakebed, lazy bed, lazy-bed, lesbian bed death, lie in the bed one has made, loft bed, make one's bed → …and lie in it, make the bed, marker bed, marriage bed, moa bed, monster under the bed, multibed, Murphy bed, nailbed, nettlebed, oceanbed, orthopaedic bed, orthopedic bed, out of bed, overbed, oyster bed, pebble-bed reactor, pencil-post bed, pie bed, pig bed, pissabed, piss-the-bed, pissy bed, plank bed, platform bed, Polish bed, powder bed, powder-bed, print bed, Procrustean bed, procrustean bed, put to bed, put to bed with a shovel, railbed, raised bed, rebed, redbed, red under the bed, reed bed, riverbed, roadbed, roller bed, rope bed, rosebed, sandbed, scanbed, sea bed, seabed, seedbed, settee bed, settle bed, share a bed, shell bed, shit the bed, sickbed, single bed, sleigh bed, slug-a-bed, sofa-bed, spawning bed, spring bed, stakebed, stand-by-bed, strawbed, straw-bed, stream bed, streambed, stringbed, sunbed, surbed, take to one's bed, tan bed, tanning bed, tent bed, test bed, testbed, Texas bed, throw someone out of bed, too much bed makes a dull head, trackbed, trestle bed, truckle bed, trundle bed, twin bed, unbed, underbed, vac bed, vacuum bed, wake up on the wrong side of the bed, waterbed, wet the bed, you make the bed you lie in, Z-bed, zed-bed
Related terms: go to bed, :Category:en:Bedding
Hypernyms: furniture
Hyponyms: pallet, shakedown, berth, bunk, bunk bed, camp bed, canopy bed, cradle, crib, cot, day bed, double bed, four-poster, futon, hammock, loft bed, Murphy bed, sofa-bed, truckle bed, trundle bed, twin bed, waterbed
Holonyms: bedroom, lodging place
Meronyms: bedframe, bedstead, footboard, headboard, mattress, bedcover, bedding, bedlinen, bedsheet, bedspread, blanket, bolster, cushion, duvet, eiderdown, pillow, quilt, tester

bed

verb

Etymology

11 senses

1To go to bed; to put oneself to sleep.
2To place in a bed.
3To furnish with a bed or bedding.
4To have sex (with).
5Of large game animals: to be at rest.
6To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and…
7To set in a soft matrix, as paving stones in sand, or…
8To set out (plants) in a garden bed.
9To dress or prepare the surface of (stone) so it can…
10To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal…
11To settle, as machinery.

› Senses relating to a bed as a place for…

To go to bed; to put oneself to sleep.

I usually listen to music before I bed.

To place in a bed.

For she was not only publicly contracted, but stated as a bride, and solemnly bedded, and after she was laid, there came in Maximilian's ambassador with letters of procuration1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC:

To furnish with a bed or bedding.

Ambitransitive To have sex (with).

And he who lies with another Man's Wife after she is married, even before her Husband had bedded with her, is guilty of Adultery, […]1730, William Forbes, The Institutes of the Law of Scotland, page 121:

Hobbies, Hunting, Lifestyle Of large game animals: to be at rest.

› Senses relating to a bed as a place or layer…

To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or enclosed; to embed.

1810/1835, William Wordsworth, Guide to the Lakes Among all chains or clusters of mountains where large bodies of still water are bedded.
But I must warn you that chipboard floors are always likely to squeak. The material is still being used in new-builds, but developers now use adhesive to bed and joint it, rather than screws or nails. I suspect the adhesive will eventually embrittle and crack, resulting in the same squeaking problems as before.2014 August 17, Jeff Howell, “Home improvements: Repairing and replacing floorboards [print version: Never buy anything from a salesman, 16 August 2014, p. P7]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property):

To set in a soft matrix, as paving stones in sand, or tiles in cement.

To set out (plants) in a garden bed.

To dress or prepare the surface of (stone) so it can serve as a bed.

To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position.

Your bedded hair like life in excrementsc. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:

To settle, as machinery.

Derived terms: bed down, embed

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