ned
/ˈnɛd/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.71 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person, usually a youth, of low social standing and education, with a violent disposition and a particular style of dress (typically sportswear or Burberry), speech and behaviour.
Derogatory; Offensive; Slang
name
A medieval diminutive of the male given name Edward.
name
Initialism of New English Dictionary.
name
Initialism of National Endowment for Democracy.
phrase
Initialism of no evidence of disease.
Example Sentences
- "The mindless behaviour of drunken neds and nuisance neighbours brings misery to tens of thousands of honest folk."
- "You could live in a place for twenty years, you could clean up its streets and lock up its neds."
- "[B]ut ſweete Ned, to ſweeten which name of Ned, I giue thee this peniworth of ſugar, […]"
- "Each winter, after their seasons end, both Neds return to their respective homes in Georgia."
Etymology
Unknown. The suggested initialism from "non-educated delinquent" is a backronym and folk etymology. Several other suggestions include a contraction of ne'er-do-well, neanderthal, or some kind of relationship with Teddy Boy although its use much predates the 1950s origin of that phrase. Ostensibly unrelated to "Ned" as a diminutive of the personal name "Edward" but the Scottish use of 'ned' for hooligan or lout is cited by the Oxford English Dictionary as dating from the early 19th century. The OED also attributes a possible derivation from the 'Edward' diminutive.