*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ted

From a pet form of Edward, in reference to Edwardian styles affected by youths.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A Teddy boy.

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

From a pet form of Edward, in reference to Edwardian styles affected by youths.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Edward",
      "Edward#English"
    ],
    [
      "Edwardian",
      "Edwardian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Teddy boy."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "738f3adee3d200a34ca4ec4329615c7c22328d203a8064254eafabea39c219b3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6ba9185de37e563e8b363b9675533b6fb5e44700c891fb52295f9262928024f5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2510933
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To spread hay for drying.

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

Inherited from Middle English tedden, from a possible Old English *teddan, from Proto-West Germanic *taddjan, from Proto-Germanic *tadjaną (“to strew, scatter”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tedden",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tedden"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tedden"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English tedden"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*teddan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *teddan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*taddjan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *taddjan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*tadjaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to strew, scatter"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *tadjaną (“to strew, scatter”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tedden",
      "tedden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*teddan",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/teddan"
    ],
    [
      "*taddjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/taddjan"
    ],
    [
      "*tadjaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tadjaną"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To spread hay for drying."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "dcd4e721b405cc957160ec3351305ff20d5a9c12239fbbd406e848e3e4bace1c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "32833d252cf501ed0421409d965243d6d40241437c729074ad0bfea85448688b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2510934
    }
  ],
  "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 ted →

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-dGVk