rid

Meaning

Verb

1. (also, reflexive, transitive) Followed by of: to free (oneself or someone, or a place) from an annoyance or hindrance.
2. (also, reflexive, transitive) Followed by away, from, or out of: to remove (oneself or someone, or something, that is annoying, troublesome, or unwanted).
3. (reflexive, transitive) Often followed by from, of, or out of: to free or release, or to rescue or save, (oneself or someone, or something).
4. (archaic, transitive) To clear (a place or way); especially, to clear (land) of trees, undergrowth, etc.
5. (archaic, transitive) Sometimes followed by away: to destroy or kill (someone).
6. (archaic, transitive) Sometimes followed by up: to remove obstacles or refuse from (a place); to clean, to clear out; specifically, to clear or empty (the stomach).
7. (archaic, transitive) Followed by up: to eradicate (something); to root out, to uproot.
8. (Shropshire, archaic, transitive) Sometimes followed by away or off: to complete or get through (a task, or work).
9. (US, rare, regional, transitive) Often followed by up: to put (a place, such as a room or a table) in order; to clear, to tidy.
10. (obsolete, transitive) To dismiss (someone) who has attended on a person; (reflexive) to remove (oneself) from a person's presence after attending to them.
11. (obsolete, transitive) To settle (a disagreement).
12. (also, obsolete, reflexive, transitive) Followed by of: to deprive (oneself or someone) of something; to strip.
13. (obsolete, rare, transitive) To get away from or get out of (a place); to escape.
14. (archaic, intransitive) To clear land or some other place.
15. (West-Midlands, archaic, intransitive) To clear or empty the stomach; also, to clear the throat.
16. (Northern-England, intransitive, obsolete) Of work: to be completed.

Adj

Chiefly of a place: which has been ridded (sense 1.4.1) or cleared; rid-up.

Noun

1. (Northern-England, archaic, obsolete, rare, uncountable) Progress which has been made; also, speed.
2. (Northern-England, archaic, obsolete, uncountable) Loose earth, rubble, etc., on the surface of a quarry which must be removed before digging can begin; rid-work.

Adj

1. (Northern-England, archaic, not-comparable, obsolete) As the second word in a compound: synonym of ridden (“full of; also, dominated, oppressed, or plagued by”).
2. (Northern-England, archaic, not-comparable, obsolete, postpositional) Only in well-rid: of a horse: ridden.

Synonyms

free

🆓

relieve

disembarrass

deliver

remove

get rid of

delete

abolish

clear

dispense with

do away with

scrap

take away

cancel

distance bar

cross out

allow

delivered

disband

disburden

discharge

admit

ribbed panel

ribbed plate

douse

drop

emit

escape

excuse

exempt

exhaust

exonerate

exterminate

extricate

abstract

get

absolve

give off

hand in

hand over

let

let go

liberate

liberty

liquidate

lose

make

nullify

of

pass off

Translations

afhelpen

befreien

🆓

librar

débarrasser

απαλάσσω

ôter

ελευθερώνω

supprimer

abschaffen

fortschaffen

loswerden

beseitigen

délivrer

livrer

entfernen

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɹɪd/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: redden

Inherited from Old English: hreddan

Inherited from Middle English: ridden

Inherited from Old English: ġeryddan

Cognate with Old Frisian: hredda

Cognate with Dutch: redden

Cognate with German: retten

Cognate with Old Norse: ryðja

Cognate with Old Norse: hróðja

In summary

The verb is derived from Middle English ridden (“to remove debris, obstructions, etc., from (a place), to clear; to complete (something unfinished); to free (someone or something); to relieve (someone); etc.”), probably from Old English *ryddan (“to remove debris, obstructions, etc., from (a place), to clear”) (the past participle form ġeryd is attested), from Proto-Germanic *riudijaną (“to clear”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hrewdʰ- (“to clear land”), or possibly from *Hrew- (“to dig out, tear out; to open; to acquire”). The verb was probably also influenced by the following:
* Middle English redden (“to rescue (someone), deliver, save; to rid (someone) of a burden; to free (someone)”) (from which redd (obsolete except Northern England, Scotland) is partly derived), from Old English hreddan (“to deliver, rescue, save; to free; to recover; to take away”), from Proto-West Germanic *hraddjan (“to rescue, save”), from Proto-Germanic *hradjaną (“to rescue, save; to free; to loosen”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kret- (“to move quickly; to rattle; to shake”); and
* Middle English reden (“to arrange; to get ready, prepare; to put in order, tidy; to remove debris, obstructions, etc., from (a place), to clear; to unblock; etc.”) (whence rede (chiefly Scotland, archaic)), from Old English rǣdan, Early Old English rēdan, from Proto-West Germanic *raidijan (“to arrange”), from Proto-Germanic *raidijaną (“to arrange”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂rey- (“to arrange; to count, count out”).
The adjective is derived from rid, the past participle of the verb. The noun is derived from the verb.
As regards noun sense 1 (“progress which has been made; speed”), compare verb sense 1.4.5 (“to complete or get through (a task, or work)”).
cognates
* Dutch redden (“to save, deliver”)
* German retten (“to save, deliver”), reuten (“to clear”), roden (“to clear”)
* Old Frisian hredda (“to save”)
* Old Norse hrōðja (“to clear, strip”), Old Norse ryðja (“to clear, empty”)