What does bidden mean?
"Bidden" is an archaic past participle of the verb "bid," meaning urged, invited, or commanded someone to do something. Where modern English would say "asked" or "told," older and more formal usage said that a person was "bidden" to attend, to speak, or to act. The verb itself is ancient, descending from Old English "bēodan," meaning to offer or command, which also gives us "forbid." Today the word survives chiefly in set phrases such as "bidden or unbidden" — meaning whether invited and requested or not — a formulation famously used by Martin Luther in his motto about God's presence. Its full conjugation is irregular: bid, bade, bidden. Though rare in speech, it lends gravity and literary flavor to writing, evoking commandment, summons, and invitation with an air of solemnity that plainer verbs cannot match.
verbPast participle of "bid"; urged, invited, or commanded (someone) to do something. Also used in the phrase "bidden or unbidden" meaning whether invited and requested or not.
- Urged, invited, or commanded (someone) to do something; past participle of bid.
- In literary use: summoned or called upon.
"She came to the feast bidden or unbidden."
"The guests arrived precisely as they had been bidden."
"Thoughts of her past returned, bidden or unbidden."
"Bidden or unbidden, God is present" — Martin Luther's famous motto keeps this archaic participle alive centuries after it faded from everyday speech.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bidden
"Bidden" descends from Old English "gebeden," the past participle of "bēodan," meaning to offer, proclaim, or command, from Proto-Germanic *biudaną. It shares deep Germanic roots with "forbid" and with the archaic "bode." Cognates include German "bieten" (to offer) and Gothic "biudan." The word has been in continuous use since Old English but has grown steadily rarer as "bid" shifted toward auction and greeting senses.
Related word forms
How bidden is actually used
Archaic and highly formal; almost never heard in ordinary conversation today. Survives mainly in fixed phrases such as "bidden or unbidden" and in literary or religious registers. The simple past is "bade," making the full paradigm: bid / bade / bidden.