To be brought to bed

To be brought to bed
Bed Bed, n. [AS. bed, bedd; akin to OS. bed, D. bed, bedde, Icel. be?r, Dan. bed, Sw. b["a]dd, Goth. badi, OHG. betti, G. bett, bette, bed, beet a plat of ground; all of uncertain origin.] 1. An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or on; a couch. Specifically: A sack or mattress, filled with some soft material, in distinction from the bedstead on which it is placed (as, a feather bed), or this with the bedclothes added. In a general sense, any thing or place used for sleeping or reclining on or in, as a quantity of hay, straw, leaves, or twigs. [1913 Webster]

And made for him [a horse] a leafy bed. --Byron. [1913 Webster]

I wash, wring, brew, bake, . . . make the beds. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

In bed he slept not for my urging it. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. (Used as the symbol of matrimony) Marriage. [1913 Webster]

George, the eldest son of his second bed. --Clarendon. [1913 Webster]

3. A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground. ``Beds of hyacinth and roses.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

4. A mass or heap of anything arranged like a bed; as, a bed of ashes or coals. [1913 Webster]

5. The bottom of a watercourse, or of any body of water; as, the bed of a river. [1913 Webster]

So sinks the daystar in the ocean bed. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

6. (Geol.) A layer or seam, or a horizontal stratum between layers; as, a bed of coal, iron, etc. [1913 Webster]

7. (Gun.) See {Gun carriage}, and {Mortar bed}. [1913 Webster]

8. (Masonry) (a) The horizontal surface of a building stone; as, the upper and lower beds. (b) A course of stone or brick in a wall. (c) The place or material in which a block or brick is laid. (d) The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile. --Knight. [1913 Webster]

9. (Mech.) The foundation or the more solid and fixed part or framing of a machine; or a part on which something is laid or supported; as, the bed of an engine. [1913 Webster]

10. The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad. [1913 Webster]

11. (Printing) The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid. [1913 Webster]

Note: Bed is much used adjectively or in combination; as, bed key or bedkey; bed wrench or bedwrench; bedchamber; bedmaker, etc. [1913 Webster]

{Bed of justice} (French Hist.), the throne (F. lit bed) occupied by the king when sitting in one of his parliaments (judicial courts); hence, a session of a refractory parliament, at which the king was present for the purpose of causing his decrees to be registered.

{To be brought to bed}, to be delivered of a child; -- often followed by of; as, to be brought to bed of a son.

{To make a bed}, to prepare a bed; to arrange or put in order a bed and its bedding.

{From bed and board} (Law), a phrase applied to a separation by partial divorce of man and wife, without dissolving the bonds of matrimony. If such a divorce (now commonly called a judicial separation) be granted at the instance of the wife, she may have alimony. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • To be brought to bed — Bring Bring, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Brought}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Bringing}.] [OE. bringen, AS. bringan; akin to OS. brengian, D. brengen, Fries. brenga, OHG. bringan, G. bringen, Goth. briggan.] 1. To convey to the place where the speaker is or is to …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • be brought to bed — ( ● bed * * * archaic (of a woman) give birth to a child she was brought to bed of a daughter …   Useful english dictionary

  • Bed — Bed, n. [AS. bed, bedd; akin to OS. bed, D. bed, bedde, Icel. be?r, Dan. bed, Sw. b[ a]dd, Goth. badi, OHG. betti, G. bett, bette, bed, beet a plat of ground; all of uncertain origin.] 1. An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or on; a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bed of justice — Bed Bed, n. [AS. bed, bedd; akin to OS. bed, D. bed, bedde, Icel. be?r, Dan. bed, Sw. b[ a]dd, Goth. badi, OHG. betti, G. bett, bette, bed, beet a plat of ground; all of uncertain origin.] 1. An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bed — [bed] n. [ME & OE < IE base * bhedh , to dig > Ger bett, L fossa, ditch, W bedd, Bret béz, a grave; orig. sense “a sleeping hollow in the ground”] 1. a thing for sleeping or resting on; specif., a piece of furniture consisting usually of a… …   English World dictionary

  • be brought to bed — archaic (of a woman) give birth to a child. → bed …   English new terms dictionary

  • be brought to bed — Be confined, lie in, be in child bed, be in the straw …   New dictionary of synonyms

  • bed —    1. childbirth    The bed is the symbol of birth, marriage, and copulation. To be brought to bed is standard English for the delivery of a child:     At the height of the gale a soldier s wife was brought to bed. (Graves, 1940)    2. to… …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

  • bed — 1 noun /bed/ 1 SLEEP (C, U) a piece of furniture for sleeping on: a spare bed | a double bed | in bed: Simon lay in bed reading for hours. | go to bed: In the end, she went to bed without any fuss. | make the bed (=tidy the bed covers) | put sb… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • bed — n. & v. n. 1 a a piece of furniture used for sleeping on, usu. a framework with a mattress and coverings. b such a mattress, with or without coverings. 2 any place used by a person or animal for sleep or rest; a litter. 3 a a garden plot, esp.… …   Useful english dictionary

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