Meanings
deed1
plural deeds
- A brave or noteworthy action; a feat or exploit.
whose deeds some nobler poem shall adorn
1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number)1 more example
They should accomplish both a knightly deed,
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 4 - Action or fact, as opposed to rhetoric or deliberation.
I have fulfilled my promise in word and in deed.
- lawA legal instrument that is executed under seal or before a witness; sometimes required for certain legal activities, such as the transfer of certain kinds of property.
present singular third person deeds · participle present deeding · participle past deeded · past deeded
- informalbusinessTo transfer real property by deed.
He deeded over the mineral rights to some fellas from Denver.
Deed2
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
action
nouna legal document signed and sealed and delivered to effect a transfer of property and to show the legal right to possess it
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰéh₁tis“deed, action”
- Proto-Germanic*dēdiz“deed”
- Proto-West Germanic*dādi
- Old Englishdēd
- Middle Englishdede
- Englishdeed
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πρᾶξις
- πρᾶξις (prâxis)action
Arabic مَأْثُرَة, عَمَل
- مَأْثُرَة (maʔṯura)brave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- عَمَل (ʕamal)action
- فِعْل (fiʕl)action
- وَثِيقَة (waṯīqa)legal instrument
Bengali দস্তাবেজ
- দস্তাবেজ (dôśtabez)legal instrument
Bulgarian по́двиг, де́йствие
- по́двиг (pódvig)brave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- де́йствие (déjstvie)action
- постъпка (postăpka)action
- дело (delo)action
- акт (akt)legal instrument
- докуме́нт (dokumént)legal instrument
Catalan fet, acte
- fetaction
- acteaction
- escripturalegal instrument
- actalegal instrument
Chinese Mandarin 功勛 /功勋, 行為 /行为
- 功勛 /功勋 (gōngxūn)brave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- 行為 /行为 (xíngwéi)action
- 契據 /契据 (qìjù)legal instrument
Czech čin, skutek
- činbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- skutekaction
- činaction
Danish dåd, bedrift
- dådbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- bedriftbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- gerningaction
- handlingaction
- skødelegal instrument
- tilskødeto transfer real property by deed
Dutch daad, akte
- daadaction
- aktelegal instrument
Esperanto faro, ago
- faroaction
- agoaction
Finnish saavutus, teko
- saavutusbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- tekoaction
- toimiaction
- asiakirjalegal instrument
- luovuttaa sopimuksellato transfer real property by deed
French exploit, haut fait
- exploitbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- haut faitbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- prouessebrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- coup d'éclatbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- action d'éclatbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- acteaction
- actionaction
- œuvreaction
- acte juridiquelegal instrument
German Tat, Akt
- Tataction
- Aktaction
- Werkaction
- Urkundelegal instrument
- urkundlich übertragento transfer real property by deed
Greek πράξη, συμβόλαιο
- πράξη (práxi)action
- συμβόλαιο (symvólaio)legal instrument
- συμβολαιογραφική πράξη (symvolaiografikí práxi)legal instrument
Hebrew מעשה, מסמך
- מעשה (ma'ase)action
- מסמך (mismákh)legal instrument
- חוזה (khozé)legal instrument
Hindi कार्य, करनी
- कार्य (kārya)action
- करनी (karnī)action
Hungarian tett, oklevél
- tettaction
- oklevéllegal instrument
Icelandic dáð
- dáðaction
Irish gníomhas
- gníomhaslegal instrument
Italian prodezza, impresa
- prodezzabrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- impresabrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- exploitbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- bravurabrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- ardimentobrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- gestabrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- fattoaction
- gestoaction
- gestaaction
- atto notarilelegal instrument
- contrattolegal instrument
Japanese 行為
- 行為 (kōi)action
Korean 행위
- 행위 (haeng'wi)action
Latin āctiō, āctus
- āctiōaction
- āctusaction
Malay geran
- geranlegal instrument
Māori rāwekeweke, tīti
- rāwekewekebrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- tītilegal instrument
- pukapuka tukulegal instrument
Norwegian dåd, gjerning
- dådaction
- gjerningaction
Persian کردار, کار
- کردار (kerdâr)action
- کار (kâr)action
- اعمال (a'mâl)action
Polish wyczyn, czyn
- wyczynbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- czynaction
Portuguese ação, feito
- açãoaction
- feitoaction
- atolegal instrument
- contratolegal instrument
- escrituralegal instrument
Romanian faptă
- faptăaction
Russian по́двиг, посту́пок
- по́двиг (pódvig)brave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- посту́пок (postúpok)action
- де́йствие (déjstvije)action
- дея́ние (dejánije)action
- акт (akt)action
- акт (akt)legal instrument
- докуме́нт (dokumént)legal instrument
Scottish Gaelic gnìomh
- gnìomhaction
Slovak čin, skutok
- činbrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- skutokaction
- činaction
Spanish gesta, hombrada
- gestabrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- hombradabrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- machadabrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- fechobrave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- hechoaction
- obraaction
- fechoaction
- actalegal instrument
- escrituralegal instrument
- escrituraslegal instrument
- título propietariolegal instrument
- título de propiedadlegal instrument
Swahili tendo, jambo
- tendoaction
- jamboaction
Swedish gärning, dåd
- gärningaction
- dådaction
Tagalog kasulatan
- kasulatanlegal instrument
Tamil செயல்
- செயல் (ceyal)action
Turkish iş, hareket
- işaction
- hareketaction
- eylemaction
- edimaction
- fiilaction
- amelaction
- aksiyonaction
- vesikalegal instrument
- senetlegal instrument
- tapulegal instrument
Ukrainian по́двиг, ді́я
- по́двиг (pódvyh)brave or noteworthy action, feat or exploit
- ді́я (díja)action
- ді́яння (díjannja)action
- акт (akt)action
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with deed
Anagrams
Cite this entry
deed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deed
“deed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deed. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deed,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deed.
Source: deed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.