*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of abed

From Middle English abedde, o bedde, from Old English on (“in”) + bedde (“bed”). Equivalent to a- (“in, on”) + bed.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adv

In bed, or on the bed; confined to bed. · On a childbed.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English abedde, o bedde, from Old English on (“in”) + bedde (“bed”). Equivalent to a- (“in, on”) + bed.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionabeddeenm
  • Derivation mentiononang · in
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "abedde"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English abedde"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "on",
        "t": "in"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English on (“in”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "prefix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "a",
        "3": "bed",
        "t1": "in, on"
      },
      "expansion": "a- (“in, on”) + bed"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "abedde",
      "abedde#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "o bedde",
      "o bedde#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "on",
      "on#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bedde",
      "bedd#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English"
    ],
    [
      "bed",
      "bed#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "In bed, or on the bed; confined to bed.",
        "On a childbed."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "c1a11468ea73faa80e08783642e1b0b057b24dfd6829beff3de37140d64647ac",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d7411139c2d28bbc2e1c72b8c41b0bd306a4cbd46cf0ddfd0d7677786a12a5f1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1598
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for abed →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YWJlZA