reed
1. any of various widely distributed tall grasses of the genus Phragmites, esp P. communis, that grow in swamps and shallow water and have jointed hollow stalks
2. the stalk, or stalks collectively, of any of these plants, esp as used for thatching
3. Musica. a thin piece of cane or metal inserted into the tubes of certain wind instruments, which sets in vibration the air column inside the tube
b. a wind instrument or organ pipe that sounds by means of a reed
4. one of the several vertical parallel wires on a loom that may be moved upwards to separate the warp threads
5. a small semicircular architectural moulding
6. an ancient Hebrew unit of length equal to six cubits
7. an archaic word for
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reed
2. the stalk, or stalks collectively, of any of these plants, esp as used for thatching
Reed
1. Sir Carol. 1906--76, English film director. His films include The Third Man (1949), An Outcast of the Islands (1951), and Oliver! (1968), for which he won an Oscar
2. Lou. born 1942, US rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist: member of the Velvet Underground (1965--70). His albums include Transformer (1972), Berlin (1973), Street Hassle (1978), New York (1989), Set the Twilight Reeling (1996), and The Raven (2003)
3. Walter. 1851--1902, US physician, who proved that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes (1900)
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
reed
[rēd] (botany)
Any tall grass characterized by a slender jointed stem.
(engineering)
A thin bar of metal, wood, or cane that is clamped at one end and set into transverse elastic vibration, usually by wind pressure; used to generate sound in musical instruments, and as a frequency standard, as in a vibrating-reed frequency meter.
(textiles)
A comblike loom attachment that keeps the warp yarns apart and pushes the filling thread against the woven fabric.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Reed
the sound-producing agent of many musical instruments. The reed is a small plate, fixed at one end, that is caused to vibrate. The vibrations are produced by passing a stream of air over the reed or by plucking or striking it. Reeds are divided into two types: free and beating. Free reeds, which are set in a frame with an opening, are found in the accordion, baian, harmonica, and harmonium. Beating reeds are subdivided into those that are actually made of reed and those that are made of metal. The former make up part of the sound-producing mechanism of such reed instruments as the clarinet, oboe, and bassoon. Metal reeds are used principally in the pipes of reed organs.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.