ENGLISH
REFERENCE

deed

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈdid// UK //dˈiːd// deed Informal

n. an action that someone does on purpose, usually one that is very good or very bad. It can also mean a legal document that proves you own a house or land.

n. an intentional act, especially one that is notable for its moral quality. In a legal context, a signed and delivered instrument that conveys title to real property.


SIMPLE

He was rewarded for his good deed.

CONTEXTUAL

After the final payment was made, the bank sent the original deed to the homeowner as proof of ownership.

COMPLEX

The protagonist's journey is defined not by his noble intentions but by the specific deeds he performs when faced with the moral ambiguity of the frontier.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Commonly found in the fixed expression 'good deed' or in legal contexts regarding property transfer.

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