adv
abed
uh-BEHD
adv
1
In or on a bed; confined to bed.
"He lay abed all morning, nursing a fever."
"The old phrase "early to bed" comes from the same idea as lying abed."
How to Use Abed
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old-fashioned way of saying "in bed."
When to use it
Archaic/literary — you'll meet it in older novels and poetry, not in everyday speech.
Word Forms
Abeds plural
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He lay _____ all morning, nursing a fever.
Etymology
From Old English on bedde, "on bed" — the a- prefix here just means "in" or "on," the same pattern seen in "asleep" and "afloat."