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reed

  • noun
  • rēd

Any of various types of tall stiff perennial grass-like plants growing together in groups near water.

Other meanings

  1. The hollow stem of these plants.

  2. Part of an aerophone musical instrument, comprising a thin piece of wood or metal, which vibrates to produce sound when air passes through it.

Kinds of reed

  • giant reed
  • ditch reed

Word history

From Old English "hrēod".

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “reed” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.