# mead

/ˈmid/ (US) · /mˈiːd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/mead
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. honey wine

noun · CEFR B2

an alcoholic drink made by mixing honey and water and letting it ferment.

For teachers: an alcoholic beverage produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. Uncountable in its general sense.

- The characters in the fantasy novel sat around the fire drinking mead.
- Artisanal producers are seeing a resurgence in mead production, experimenting with various floral honeys and aging processes to create complex, wine-like profiles.

### 2. a meadow

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

a field of grass or flowers; a shorter, poetic way to say 'meadow'.

For teachers: a poetic or archaic term for a meadow or a grassy field.

- The sheep grazed peacefully in the flowery mead.
- The poet described the morning dew glistening upon the mead, evoking a pastoral scene that has largely vanished from the modern landscape.

## Examples

- The king drank mead from a large horn.
- During the medieval festival, vendors sold traditional mead alongside modern craft beers.
- Archaeological evidence suggests that mead was consumed across various ancient cultures, predating the widespread cultivation of grapes for wine in many northern regions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.