ed

1 of 5

noun

: education
driver's ed
adult ed

ed

2 of 5

abbreviation (1)

edited; edition; editor

ED

3 of 5

abbreviation (2)

-ed

4 of 5

verb suffix or adjective suffix

after a vowel or d,
b,
g,
j,
l,
m,
n,
ŋ,
r,
t͟h,
v,
z,
 or  zh;
əd,
id,
 after  d,
 or  t;
after other sounds t;
 exceptions are pronounced at their entries 
1
used to form the past participle of regular weak verbs
ended
faded
tried
patted
2
used to form adjectives of identical meaning from Latin-derived adjectives ending in -ate
crenulated
3
a
: having : characterized by
cultured
two-legged
b
: having the characteristics of
bigoted

-ed

5 of 5

verb suffix

used to form the past tense of regular weak verbs
judged
denied
dropped

Word History

Etymology

Verb suffix or adjective suffix

Middle English, from Old English -ed, -od, -ad; akin to Old High German -t, past participle ending, Latin -tus, Greek -tos, suffix forming verbals

Verb suffix

Middle English -ede, -de, from Old English -de, -ede, -ode, -ade; akin to Old High German -ta, past ending (1st singular) and probably to Old High German -t, past participle ending

First Known Use

Noun

1954, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ed was in 1954

Dictionary Entries Near ed

Cite this Entry

“Ed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ed. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

-ed

1 of 2 verb suffix or adjective suffix
d,
 after a vowel or  b,
g,
j,
l,
m,
n,
ŋ,
r,
t͟h,
v,
z,
zh;
əd,
id,
 after  d,
t;
t,
 after other sounds; exceptions are pronounced at their subentries or entries 
1
used to form the past participle of regular weak verbs
ended
faded
tried
patted
2
a
: having : characterized by
cultured
two-legged
b
: having the characteristics of
bigoted

-ed

2 of 2 verb suffix
used to form the past tense of regular weak verbs
judged
denied
dropped
Etymology

Verb suffix or adjective suffix

Old English -ed, -od, -ad (mark of the past participle of certain verbs)

Verb suffix

Old English -de, -ede, -ode, -ade (mark of the past tense of certain verbs)

Medical Definition

ED

abbreviation
1
effective dose
2
emergency department
3
4
erythema dose
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!