redd

Etymology 1

Fusion of Middle English redden (“to save, rescue, deliver, rid, free, clear”), from Old English hreddan (“to save, deliver, recover, rescue”), from Proto-Germanic *hradjaną and Middle English reden (“to clean up, clear”), from Old English ġerǣdan (“to put in order, arrange, prepare”), from Proto-Germanic *garaidijaną (“to arrange”). More at rid, ready.

verb

1. (obsolete) To free from entanglement.
2. (obsolete) To free from embarrassment.
3. (Scotland and Northern England) To fix boundaries.
4. (Scotland and Northern England) To comb hair.
5. (Scotland and Northern England) To separate combatants.
6. (Scotland and Northern England) To settle, usually a quarrel.
7. (Scotland and Northern England) To tidy up, clear away Suggest related to Norwegian å rydde. To tidy, clear away

Etymology 2

From Middle English, from Old Norse ryðja, Middle Low German, compare Dutch redden. In modern use probably actually a back-formation from ready.

verb

1. (transitive, Pennsylvania) To clean, tidy up, to put in order.
   I've got to redd up the place before your mother gets back.

Etymology 3

Origin obscure, possibly from the act of the fish scooping, clearing out a spawning place, see redd above.

noun

1. A spawning nest made by a fish.
   2007, Michael Klesius, Fishes' Riches, National Geographic (March 2007), 32, A female chinook salmon digs her redd, or nest, prior to spawning in Oregon's John Day River.

Etymology 4

From the archaic verb rede or read.

verb

1. simple past and past participle of rede
2. (obsolete) simple past and past participle of read
   The Works of John Knox, 1841