tread
pronunciation
How to pronounce tread in British English:
UK [tred]
How to pronounce tread in American English:
US [tred]
-
- Noun:
- a step in walking or running
- the grooved surface of a pneumatic tire
- the part (as of a wheel or shoe) that makes contact with the ground
- structural member consisting of the horizontal part of a stair or step
-
- Verb:
- put down or press the foot, place the foot
- tread or stomp heavily or roughly
- crush as if by treading on
- brace (an archer's bow) by pressing the foot against the center
- apply (the tread) to a tire
- mate with
Word Origin
- tread
- tread: [OE] Tread comes from a prehistoric Germanic *trethan, which also produced German treten, Dutch treden, Swedish träda, and Danish træde. It does not appear to have any relations outside Germanic, however. Trade comes from the same base, and it is thought that trot [13] may do so too, although its immediate source was Old French troter.=> trade, trot
- tread (v.)
- Old English tredan "to tread, step on, trample; traverse, pass over" (class V strong verb; past tense træd, past participle treden), from Proto-Germanic *tred- (cognates: Old Saxon tredan, Old Frisian treda, Middle Dutch treden, Old High German tretan, German treten, Gothic trudan, Old Norse troða), from PIE *der- (1) "assumed base of roots meaning 'to run, walk, step'" [Watkins]. Related: Trod; treading.
- tread (n.)
- early 13c., "a step or stepping, pressure with the foot," from tread (v.); in reference to automobile tires, it is recorded from 1906.
Example
- 1. Tread carefully on your carpets .
- 2. The united states is poised to tread the path of postmutiny britain .
- 3. " I did not mean to tread upon it , " was all that poor kate could say .
- 4. Your new vegan buddhist path is all yours to tread .
- 5. There are some areas where democracy can 't tread , some subjects too vexed for manifesto treatment .