heed

Meaning

Noun

Careful attention.

Verb

1. (obsolete) To guard, protect.
2. To mind; to regard with care; to take notice of; to attend to; to observe.
3. To pay attention, care.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/hiːd/

Etymology

From Middle English heden, from Old English hēdan (“to heed, take care, observe, attend, guard, take charge, take possession, receive”), from Proto-West Germanic *hōdijan (“to heed, guard”), from Proto-Indo-European *kadʰ- (“to heed, protect”). Cognate with West Frisian hoedje (“to heed”), Dutch hoeden (“to heed”), German hüten (“to heed”).