How to pronounce reed

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What reed means

noun

Most people know reed in its everyday sense. Here's its other meaning.

A thin strip that buzzes in a clarinet's mouthpiece

In a sentence: Before band practice, Leo wet the thin reed and clipped it onto his clarinet.

Where it comes from: It comes from the Old English word hreod, the name of the tall water plant. The strips in instruments were first cut from the hollow stems of that plant.

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