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mean1 definition

mean (mēn)

transitive verb meant (ment), meaning mean′·ing

  1. to have in mind; intend; purpose he means to go
    1. to intend or design for a certain person or purpose a gift meant for you
    2. to destine or seem to destine he was meant to be a doctor
  2. to intend to express, signify, or indicate to say what one means
    1. to be used to convey; denote the German word “jameans “yes”
    2. to be a sign, indication, or herald of; signify this means war!

Etymology: 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

intransitive verb

  1. to have a purpose or intention in mind: chiefly in mean well, to have good intentions
  2. to have a (specified) degree of importance, effect, or influence honors mean little to him
mean Idioms

mean well by

to have good intentions or friendly, helpful feelings toward
mean2 definition

mean (mēn)

adjective

  1. low in quality, value, or importance; paltry; poor; inferior: now usually in negative constructions paid no mean sum
  2. Rare low in social status or rank; of humble origin
  3. poor in appearance; shabby a mean dwelling
  4. ignoble; base; small-minded; petty
  5. stingy; miserly; penurious
  6. ☆ bad-tempered; vicious; unmanageable: said of a horse, etc.
  7. ☆ pettily or contemptibly selfish, bad-tempered, disagreeable, malicious, etc.
  8. ☆ humiliated or ashamed
  9. Informal in poor health; not well; ill; indisposed
  10. Slang
    1. hard to cope with; difficult to throw a mean curve in baseball
    2. skillful; expert to play a mean game of chess

Etymology: ME mene, common, hence mean < OE (ge)mæne, akin to Ger gemein, plentiful, common

Related Forms:

mean3 definition

mean (mēn)

adjective

  1. halfway between extremes; in a middle or intermediate position as to place, time, quantity, quality, kind, value, degree, etc.
  2. medium; average; middling

Etymology: ME mene < OFr meien (Fr moyen) < L medianus: see median

noun

  1. what is between extremes; intermediate state, quality, course, or procedure
  2. avoidance of extremes or excess; moderation
  3. Math.
    1. a number between the smallest and largest values of a set of quantities, obtained by some prescribed method: unless otherwise qualified, the arithmetic mean
    2. the number obtained by multiplying each value of x by the probability (or probability density) of x and then summing (or integrating) over the range of x
    3. the second or third term of a four-term proportion

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