bade

Bade is the simple past tense of the English verb bid, used to express that someone commanded, invited, or requested another person to do something in the past. It is chiefly seen in formal, literary, or ceremonial contexts and is less common in everyday speech today. Examples include phrases such as “bade them welcome,” “bade me enter,” or “he bade her farewell.”

The verb bid derives from Old English bidan, a Germanic root meaning to offer, command, or await. The form bade survives as the historical past tense in modern English, while the past participle is traditionally bidden, though many contemporary usages employ bid as the past participle (as in “I have bid him farewell”). This dual history helps explain why bade is often described as archaic or formal, even though it remains correct in appropriate contexts.

Usage notes emphasize that bade signals a completed action in the past and is typical of solemn or archaic style. In modern prose or speech, speakers commonly substitute more contemporary verbs such as invited, ordered, or asked, depending on the intended meaning. Bade tends to appear in quotations, classic literature, or ceremonial language where its historical flavor is deliberate.

See also: bid, bidden, bade farewell, farewell.