deed

See also:dee'd,'deed,andDeed

English

Etymology

FromMiddle Englishdede,fromOld Englishdēd,dǣd(“deed, act”),fromProto-West Germanic*dādi,fromProto-Germanic*dēdiz(“deed”),fromProto-Indo-European*dʰéh₁tis(“deed, action”).Analyzable through Proto-Germanic asdo+‎-th.Doubletofthesis.

The real estate sense derives from the fact that property deeds are traditionally used to demonstrate proof of ownership of a legal title incommon lawjurisdictions, such asEngland & Walesand most of theUnited States.

Cognates:

Cognate withWest Frisiandied,Dutchdaad(“deed, act”),German Low GermanDaad,GermanTat(“deed, action”),Swedish, Norwegian andDanishdåd(“act, action”).TheProto-Indo-Europeanroot is also the source ofAncient Greekθέσις(thésis,“setting, arrangement”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/diːd/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-iːd

Noun

deed(pluraldeeds)

1. Anactionoract;something that is done.

   One smalldeedcan have onestoureffect or more.

   • 1611,The Holy Bible,[…](King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker,[…],→OCLC,Genesis44:15:

     And Joseph said to them, Whatdeedis this which ye have done?

2. A brave or noteworthy action; afeatorexploit.
   • 1596,Edmund Spenser,“Book VI, Canto VII”, inThe Faerie Queene.[…],London:[…][John Wolfe] forWilliam Ponsonbie,→OCLC,stanza 4:

     They should accomplish both a knightlydeed,

   • 1667,John Dryden,Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666.[…],London:[…]Henry Herringman,[…],→OCLC,(please specify the stanza number):

     whosedeedssome nobler poem shall adorn

3. Action or fact, as opposed to rhetoric or deliberation.

   I have fulfilled my promise in word and indeed.

4. (law)A legalinstrumentthat isexecutedunder seal or before awitness;sometimes required for certain legal activities, such as the transfer of certain kinds ofproperty.
   1. (by extension,real estate)The legaltitleto real estate;ownership.

      I inherited thedeedto the house.

Synonyms

• (action):act,action;see alsoThesaurus:action

Derived terms

• a good deed is its own reward
• almsdeed
• bond for deed
• counterdeed
• deeder
• deedful
• deedholder
• deedless
• deedly
• deed of appointment
• deed of assumption
• deed of retirement
• deed of trust
• deed poll
• deedworthy
• do the deed
• estoppel by deed
• indeed
• in very deed
• misdeed
• mortgage deed
• no good deed ever goes unpunished
• no good deed goes unpunished
• propaganda by the deed
• propaganda of the deed
• quitclaim deed
• quit claim deed
• special warranty deed
• time the deed to the need
• title deed
• trust deed

Translations

action

• Arabic:عَمَل(ar)m(ʕamal),فِعْل(ar)m(fiʕl)
• Armenian:արարք(hy)(ararkʻ)
• Bashkir:ғәмәл(ğəməl)
• Belarusian:дзе́яннеn(dzjéjannje),актm(akt)
• Bulgarian:де́йствие(bg)n(déjstvie),постъпка(bg)f(postǎpka),дело(bg)n(delo)
• Catalan:fet(ca)m,acte(ca)m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Hành vi／Hành vi(zh)(xíngwéi)

• Czech:skutek(cs)m,čin(cs)m
• Danish:gerningc,handling(da)c
• Dutch:daad(nl)f
• Esperanto:faro(eo),ago
• Ewe:dɔwɔwɔ
• Finnish:teko(fi),toimi(fi)
• French:acte(fr)m,action(fr)f,œuvre(fr)f(theology)
• Galician:feito(gl)m,obras(gl)fpl
• German:Tat(de)f,Akt(de)m,Werk(de)n
• Gothic:𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌹n(taui),𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍃𐍄𐍅𐌴𐌹f(waurstwei)
• Greek:πράξη(el)f(práxi)

  Ancient:πρᾶξιςf(prâxis)

• Hebrew:מעשה(he)m(ma'ase)
• Hindi:कार्य(hi)m(kārya),करनी(hi)f(karnī)
• Hungarian:tett(hu)
• Icelandic:dáð(is)f
• Italian:fatto(it)m,gesto(it),gesta(it)
• Japanese:Hành vi(ja)(こうい, kōi)
• Kazakh:қылық(kk)(qylyq)
• Korean:행위(ko)(haeng'wi)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish:کار(ckb)(kar),کردەوە(kirdewe)

  Northern Kurdish:kirin(ku)f,kiryar(ku)f,emel(ku)m,faliyetf

• Latin:āctiō(la)m,āctus(la)m
• Luxembourgish:Dotf
• Macedonian:делоn(delo),постапкаf(postapka)
• Norwegian:dåd(no),gjerning
• Persian:کردار(fa)(kerdâr),کار(fa)(kâr),اعمال(fa)pl(a'mâl)
• Plautdietsch:Woakjn
• Polish:czyn(pl)m
• Portuguese:ação(pt)f,feito(pt)m
• Romanian:faptă(ro)
• Russian:посту́пок(ru)m(postúpok),де́йствие(ru)n(déjstvije),дея́ние(ru)n(dejánije),акт(ru)m(akt)
• Sanskrit:कार्य(sa)n(kārya)
• Scottish Gaelic:gnìomhm
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic:чи̑нm

  Roman:čȋn(sh)m

• Slovak:skutokm,čin(sk)m
• Slovene:dejanje(sl)n
• Spanish:hecho(es)m,acto(es)m,acción(es)f,obra(es)f,fecho(es)m
• Swahili:tendo(sw)class5/6,jambo(sw)class5/6
• Swedish:gärning(sv),dåd(sv)
• Telugu:చర్య(te)(carya)
• Tocharian B:yamalläññe,yāmor
• Turkish:iş(tr),hareket(tr)
• Ukrainian:ді́я(uk)f(díja),ді́яння(uk)n(díjannja),акт(uk)m(akt)
• Volapük:dun(vo),dunam
• West Frisian:diedn

brave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit

• Arabic:مَأْثُرَةf(maʔṯura)
• Belarusian:по́дзвігm(pódzvih),вы́чынm(výčyn)
• Bulgarian:по́двиг(bg)m(pódvig)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Công huân／Công huân(gōngxūn)

• Czech:čin(cs)m
• Danish:dådc,bedriftc
• Finnish:saavutus(fi)
• French:exploit(fr)m,haut fait(fr)m,prouesse(fr)f,coup d’éclat(fr)m,action d’éclatf
• Galician:feito(gl)m,fazañaf
• Gothic:𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍃𐍄𐍅n(waurstw)
• Italian:prodezza(it)f,impresa(it)f,exploit(it)m,bravura(it)f,ardimento(it)m,gesta(it)fpl
• Macedonian:подвигm(podvig)
• Maori:rāwekeweke
• Polish:wyczyn(pl)m
• Russian:по́двиг(ru)m(pódvig)
• Slovak:čin(sk)m
• Spanish:hazaña(es)f,proeza(es)f,gesta(es)f,logro(es)m,hito(es)m,hombradaf,machada(es)f,fecho(es)m,fazañaf
• Ukrainian:по́двигm(pódvyh)

legal instrument

• Arabic:وَثِيقَةf(waṯīqa)
• Bengali:দস্তাবেজ(bn)(dôśtabez)
• Bulgarian:акт(bg)m(akt),докуме́нт(bg)m(dokumént)
• Catalan:escriptura(ca)f,acta(ca)f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Khế cư／Khế cư(zh)(qìjù)

• Danish:skøden
• Dutch:akte(nl)f
• Finnish:asiakirja(fi)
• French:acte juridiquem
• Galician:escritura(gl)f,estormentom,título(gl)m
• German:Urkunde(de)f
• Greek:συμβόλαιο(el)n(symvólaio),συμβολαιογραφικήπράξηf(symvolaiografikí práxi)
• Hebrew:מסמך(he)m(mismákh),חוזה(he)m(khozé)
• Hungarian:oklevél(hu)
• Irish:gníomhasm
• Italian:atto notarile,contratto(it)m
• Macedonian:поседовен листm(posedoven list),тапијаf(tapija),договор(mk)m(dogovor)
• Malay:geran
• Maori:tīti,pukapuka tuku
• Plautdietsch:Ieejendeemabewiessm
• Portuguese:ato(pt)m,contrato(pt)m,escritura(pt)f
• Russian:акт(ru)m(akt),докуме́нт(ru)m(dokumént)
• Spanish:acta(es)f,escritura(es)f,título(es)m
• Tagalog:kasulatan
• Telugu:ఒప్పందం(te)(oppandaṁ)
• Turkish:vesika(tr),senet(tr)

Verb

deed(third-person singular simple presentdeeds,present participledeeding,simple past and past participledeeded)

1. (real estate,informal)To transferreal propertyby deed.

   Hedeededover the mineral rights to some fellas from Denver.

Derived terms

• deedable
• undeeded

Translations

to transfer real property by deed

• Chinese:

  Mandarin:please add this translation if you can

• Danish:tilskøde
• Finnish:luovuttaasopimuksella
• German:urkundlichübertragen
• Russian:please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• Dede,dede

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/deːt/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

deed

1. singularpastindicativeofdoen

Anagrams

• dede

Middle English

Alternative forms

• ded

Etymology

FromOld Englishdēad,fromProto-West Germanic*daud,fromProto-Germanic*daudaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/dɛːd/

Adjective

deed

1. dead(no longer alive)
   • c.1395,John Wycliffe,John Purvey[et al.], transl.,Bible(Wycliffite Bible (later version),MS Lich 10.)‎^[1],publishedc.1410,Joon5:21,page47r,column 1; republished asWycliffe's translation of the New Testament,Lichfield:Bill Endres,2010:

     foꝛ as þe fadir reiſiþdeedmen ⁊ quykeneþ.· ſo þe ſone quykeneþ whom he wole

     Just like the father raises thedeadand revives them, the son revives who he wants.

2. inert,inactive.
   • c.1395,John Wycliffe,John Purvey[et al.], transl.,Bible(Wycliffite Bible (later version),MS Lich 10.)‎^[2],publishedc.1410,James2:28,page110r,column 1; republished asWycliffe's translation of the New Testament,Lichfield:Bill Endres,2010:

     foꝛ as þe bodi wiþout þe ſpirit isdeed.· ſo alſo feiþ wiþout werkis isdeed

     Just like the body without a soul isdead,faith without works isdeadas well.

Related terms

• dedly

Descendants

• English:dead
• Geordie English:deed
• Scots:dede,deid,deed
• Yola:deed

References

• “dēd,adj.”,inMED Online,Ann Arbor, Mich.:University of Michigan,2007.

Scots

Verb

deed

1. pastparticipleofdee
2. (Southern Scots)pastparticipleofdei

Adverb

deed

1. indeed

Yola

Etymology

FromMiddle Englishdeed,fromOld Englishdēad,fromProto-West Germanic*daud.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/diːd/

Adjective

deed

1. dead
   • 1927,“LAMENT OF A WIDOW”, inTHE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD,page130,lines4:

     Ochone! Jone, thee yartdeed.

     Ochone, John, you aredead.

Related terms

• dee