Crossword Genius

Adam, as described by George, is a venerable fellow (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bede

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'a venerable fellow' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'adam as described by george is' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'is' could be 'be' and 'be' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'de' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for bede that I've seen before include "venerable person?" , "Venerable scholar" , "'Venerable' English monk" , "old monk" , "Anglo-Saxon historian" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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