mean

mean
mean1
verb (past and past participle meant)
1》 intend to convey or refer to.
    ↘(of a word) have as its signification in the same language or its equivalent in another language.
    ↘(mean something to) be of a specified degree of importance to.
2》 intend to occur or be the case.
    ↘(be meant to do something) be supposed to do something.
    ↘(often be meant for) design or destine for a particular purpose.
    ↘(mean something by) have as a motive or excuse in explanation.
3》 have as a consequence or result.
Phrases
mean business be in earnest.
mean well have good intentions, but not always carry them out.
Origin
OE mænan, of W. Gmc origin.
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mean2
adjective
1》 chiefly Brit. unwilling to give or share things, especially money.
2》 unkind or unfair.
    ↘N. Amer. vicious or aggressive.
3》 poor in quality and appearance.
    ↘(of a person's mental ability) inferior.
4》 dated of low birth or social class.
5》 informal excellent.
Phrases
no mean —— very good of its kind: it was no mean feat.
Derivatives
meanly adverb
meanness noun
Origin
ME (orig. in the sense 'common to two or more persons'), shortening of OE gemne, of Gmc origin.
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mean3
noun
1》 (also arithmetic mean) the average of a set of quantities. See also geometric mean.
2》 a condition, quality, or course of action equally removed from two opposite extremes.
adjective
1》 calculated as a mean.
2》 equally far from two extremes.
Origin
ME: from OFr. meien, from L. medianus (see median).

English new terms dictionary. 2014.

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  • Mean — Mean, a. [OE. mene, OF. meiien, F. moyen, fr. L. medianus that is in the middle, fr. medius; akin to E. mid. See {Mid}.] 1. Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes. [1913 Webster] Being of middle age and a mean… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mean — «Mean» Sencillo de Taylor Swift del álbum Speak Now Publicación 31 de marzo, 2011 Grabación 2010 Género(s) Country pop Duración 3:58 …   Wikipedia Español

  • mean# — mean adj Mean, ignoble, abject, sordid can all be applied to persons, their behavior, or the conditions in which they live with the meaning so low as to be out of keeping with human dignity or generally acceptable standards of human life or… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Mean — Mean, n. 1. That which is mean, or intermediate, between two extremes of place, time, or number; the middle point or place; middle rate or degree; mediocrity; medium; absence of extremes or excess; moderation; measure. [1913 Webster] But to speak …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mean — mean1 [mēn] vt. meant [ment] meaning [ME menen < OE mænan, to mean, tell, complain, akin to Ger meinen, to have in mind, have as opinion < IE base * meino , opinion, intent > OIr mian, wish, desire] 1. to have in mind; intend; purpose… …   English World dictionary

  • Mean — (m[=e]n), a. [Compar. {Meaner} (m[=e]n [ e]r); superl. {Meanest}.] [OE. mene, AS. m[=ae]ne wicked; akin to m[=a]n, a., wicked, n., wickedness, OS. m[=e]n wickedness, OHG. mein, G. meineid perjury, Icel. mein harm, hurt, and perh. to AS.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mean — 1. In the meaning ‘to intend’, mean can be followed by a to infinitive (when the speaker intends to do something: I meant to go), by an object + to infinitive (when the speaker intends someone else to do something: I meant you to go) and, more… …   Modern English usage

  • Méan — (homonymie) Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom.  France Méan est une ancienne commune française de la Loire Atlantique, aujourd hui intégrée à Saint Nazaire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • mean — Ⅰ. mean [1] ► VERB (past and past part. meant) 1) intend to express or refer to. 2) (of a word) have as its explanation in the same language or its equivalent in another language. 3) intend to occur or be the case. 4) have as a consequence. 5) …   English terms dictionary

  • Mean — (m[=e]n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Meant} (m[e^]nt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Meaning}.] [OE. menen, AS. m[=ae]nan to recite, tell, intend, wish; akin to OS. m[=e]nian to have in mind, mean, D. meenen, G. meinen, OHG. meinan, Icel. meina, Sw. mena, Dan. mene …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mean — [adj1] ungenerous close, greedy, mercenary, mingy, miserly, niggard, parsimonious, penny pinching*, penurious, rapacious, scrimpy, selfish, stingy, tight, tight fisted*; concept 334 Ant. generous, kind, unselfish mean [adj2] hostile, rude bad… …   New thesaurus

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