deed

See also: dee'd, 'deed, and Deed

English

Etymology

From Middle English dede, from Old English dēd, dǣd (“deed, act”), from Proto-West Germanic *dādi, from Proto-Germanic *dēdiz (“deed”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁tis (“deed, action”). Analyzable through Proto-Germanic as do +‎ -th. Doublet of thesis.

The real estate sense derives from the fact that property deeds are traditionally used to demonstrate proof of ownership of a legal title in common law jurisdictions, such as England & Wales and most of the United States.

Cognates

Cognate with West Frisian died, Dutch daad (“deed, act”), German Low German Daad, German Tat (“deed, action”), Swedish, Norwegian and Danish dåd (“act, action”). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek θέσις (thésis, “setting, arrangement”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diːd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːd

Noun

deed (plural deeds)

1. An action or act; something that is done.

   One small deed can have one stour effect or more.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 44:15:

     And Joseph said to them, What deed is this which ye have done?

2. A brave or noteworthy action; a feat or exploit.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 4:

     They should accomplish both a knightly deed,

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

     whose deeds some nobler poem shall adorn

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

   I have fulfilled my promise in word and in deed.

4. (law) A legal instrument that is executed under seal or before a witness; sometimes required for certain legal activities, such as the transfer of certain kinds of property.
   1. (by extension, real estate) The legal title to real estate; ownership.

      I inherited the deed to the house.

Synonyms

• (action): act, action; see also Thesaurus:action

Derived terms

• a good deed is its own reward
• almsdeed
• bond for deed
• counterdeed
• deeder
• deedful
• deedholder
• deedholding
• deedless
• deedly
• deed of appointment
• deed of assumption
• deed of retirement
• deed of trust
• deed poll
• deedwork
• deedworthy
• deedy
• do the deed
• estoppel by deed
• fordede
• indeed
• in very deed
• misdeed
• mortgage deed
• no good deed ever goes unpunished
• no good deed goes unpunished
• overdede
• propaganda by the deed
• propaganda of the deed
• quit claim deed
• quitclaim deed
• redeed
• 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: дзе́янне n (dzjéjannje), акт m (akt)
• Bulgarian: де́йствие (bg) n (déjstvie), постъпка (bg) f (postǎpka), дело (bg) n (delo)
• Catalan: fet (ca) m, acte (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行為 / 行为 (zh) (xíngwéi)

• Cornish: gwrians m, ober m
• Czech: skutek (cs) m, čin (cs) m
• Danish: gerning c, 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) f pl
• German: Tat (de) f, Akt (de) m, Werk (de) n
• Gothic: 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌹 n (taui), 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍃𐍄𐍅𐌴𐌹 f (waurstwei)
• Greek: πράξη (el) f (práxi)

  Ancient: πρᾶξις f (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: 行為 (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, faliyet f

• Latin: āctiō (la) m, āctus (la) m
• Luxembourgish: Dot f
• Macedonian: дело n (delo), постапка f (postapka)
• Norwegian: dåd (no), gjerning
• Ottoman Turkish: حركت (hareket)
• Persian: کردار (fa) (kerdâr), کار (fa) (kâr), اعمال (fa) pl (a'mâl)
• Plautdietsch: Woakj n
• 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: gnìomh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чи̑н m

  Roman: čȋn (sh) m

• Slovak: skutok m, čin (sk) m
• Slovene: dejanje (sl) n
• Spanish: hecho (es) m, acto (es) m, acción (es) f, obra (es) f, fecho (es) m (disused)
• Swahili: tendo (sw) class 5/6, jambo (sw) class 5/6
• Swedish: gärning (sv), dåd (sv)
• Telugu: చర్య (te) (carya)
• Tocharian B: yamalläññe, yāmor
• Turkish: iş (tr), hareket (tr), eylem (tr), edim (tr), fiil (tr), amel (tr), aksiyon (tr)
• Ukrainian: ді́я (uk) f (díja), ді́яння (uk) n (díjannja), акт (uk) m (akt)
• Volapük: dun (vo), dunam
• West Frisian: died n

brave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit

• Arabic: مَأْثُرَة f (maʔṯura)
• Belarusian: по́дзвіг m (pódzvih), вы́чын m (výčyn)
• Bulgarian: по́двиг (bg) m (pódvig)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 功勛 / 功勋 (gōngxūn)

• Czech: čin (cs) m
• Danish: dåd c, bedrift c
• Finnish: saavutus (fi)
• French: exploit (fr) m, haut fait (fr) m, prouesse (fr) f, coup d'éclat (fr) m, action d'éclat f
• Galician: feito (gl) m, fazaña f
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍃𐍄𐍅 n (waurstw)
• Italian: prodezza (it) f, impresa (it) f, exploit (it) m, bravura (it) f, ardimento (it) m, gesta (it) f pl
• Macedonian: подвиг m (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, hombrada f, machada (es) f, fecho (es) m (qualifier), fazaña f (qualifier)
• Ukrainian: по́двиг m (pódvyh)

legal instrument

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

  Mandarin: 契據 / 契据 (zh) (qìjù)

• Cornish: chartour m
• Danish: skøde n
• Dutch: akte (nl) f
• Finnish: asiakirja (fi)
• French: acte juridique m
• Galician: escritura (gl) f, estormento m, título (gl) m
• German: Urkunde (de) f
• Greek: συμβόλαιο (el) n (symvólaio), συμβολαιογραφική πράξη f (symvolaiografikí práxi)
• Hebrew: מסמך (he) m (mismákh), חוזה (he) m (khozé)
• Hungarian: oklevél (hu)
• Irish: gníomhas m
• Italian: atto notarile, contratto (it) m
• Macedonian: поседовен лист m (posedoven list), тапија f (tapija), договор (mk) m (dogovor)
• Malay: geran
• Maori: tīti, pukapuka tuku
• Plautdietsch: Ieejendeemabewiess m
• 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, escrituras (es) f pl, título propietario m, título de propiedad m
• Tagalog: kasulatan
• Telugu: ఒప్పందం (te) (oppandaṁ)
• Turkish: vesika (tr), senet (tr)

Verb

deed (third-person singular simple present deeds, present participle deeding, simple past and past participle deeded)

1. (real estate, informal) To transfer real property by deed.

   He deeded over 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: luovuttaa sopimuksella
• German: urkundlich übertragen
• Russian: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• Dede, dede

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /deːt/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

deed

1. singular past indicative of doen

Anagrams

• dede

Middle English

Alternative forms

• ded
• dæd (Early Middle English)

Etymology

From Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɛ̝ːd/

Adjective

deed

1. dead (no longer alive)
   • c. 1180, Orͬm, “Secundum Lucam .I. [Luke 1:5] / Secundum Lucam .II. [Luke 1:18]”, in Orͬmulum (Bodleian MS. Junius 1), Bourne Abbey, Lincolnshire, folio 20, verso, column 1; republished at Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 2019 January 10:

     Forͬ fra þatt hıre make ıſſ dæd⹎ Ne kepeþþ ᵹho nan oþerr. Acc ſerrᵹͪeþþ aᵹᵹ forͬþı ꝥ ᵹho. Ne maᵹᫌ himͫ noƿƿhar fındenn

     Because whenever her mate is dead, she doesn't get another, but always grieves since she can't find him anywhere.

   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[2], published c. 1410, Joon 5:21, folio 47, recto, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     foꝛ as þe fadir reiſiþ deed men ⁊ quykeneþ .· ſo þe ſone quykeneþ whom he wole

     Just like the father raises the dead and 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.)‎^[3], published c. 1410, James 2:28, folio 110, recto, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

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

     Just like the body without a soul is dead, faith without works is dead as well.

Related terms

• dedly

Descendants

• English: dead
• English: (West Yorkshire) deead
• Geordie: deed
• Scots: dede, deid, deed
• Yola: deed

References

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

Scots

Verb

deed

1. past participle of dee
2. (Southern Scots) past participle of dei

Adverb

deed

1. indeed

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English dæd, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɛːd/

Adjective

deed

1. dead
   • 1927, “LAMENT OF A WIDOW”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, page 130, lines 4:

     Ochone! Jone, thee yart deed.

     Ochone, John, you are dead.

Related terms

• dee (“to die”)