# mean

Pronunciation: say "MEEN" /miːn/

## Verb

1. Of a word, sign, or thing, to have a particular sense, or to be a sign of something.
   - Simple: To have a certain sense, or to show that something is true or will happen.
   - _Those clouds mean rain._
   - _The lights being off probably means they've already gone to bed._
2. To cause, produce or bring about a given result.
   - Simple: To have a result, or lead to something.
   - _A late train could mean a missed flight._
   - _The strike meant a week without post._
5. Used as I mean to signal that the next remark explains, adds to or corrects something just said.
   - Simple: Used as 'I mean' before you explain or correct what you just said.
   - _She's late again. I mean, what's the point of a clock?_
   - _I mean, who does that?_
6. To intend something for a given purpose or fate, or to predestine; usually in the passive.
   - Simple: To plan something for a certain use or person, often as 'meant for'.
   - _The rooms upstairs were originally meant for guests, but they slowly filled up with boxes._
   - _Everyone at the wedding agreed that the two of them had always been meant for each other._
7. To intend or plan to do something, or to have intentions of a given kind.
   - Simple: To plan or want to do something, or to want good or bad things for others.
   - _Do you mean to stay long?_
   - _She's been meaning to write for a month._
8. Of a person, to intend to express; to imply, hint at or allude to.
   - Simple: To want to say something, or be talking about it.
   - _Do you mean the tall one or the short one?_
   - _She meant the other door._
9. To be of some level of importance, usually with to.
   - Simple: To matter to someone, usually used with 'to'.
   - _Your support means a lot to us._
   - _Does it mean nothing to you?_
16. To have conviction in what is said, or be sincere in it.
   - Simple: To be sincere and really believe what you say.
   - _I mean it, I'm leaving._
   - _He meant every word of the apology._

## Adjective

3. Unkind, nasty, or spiteful toward others; unwilling to be helpful or kind.
   - Simple: Unkind or nasty to other people, or not willing to be kind or helpful.
   - _The older boys were mean to him._
   - _She made a mean comment about his weight just to embarrass him._
10. Having the mean as its value; average.
   - Simple: Equal to the average of a set of numbers.
   - _Mean rainfall here is low._
   - _The mean score was sixty-one._
13. Ungenerous, stingy or tight-fisted. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Not willing to spend or share money.
   - _He's famously mean with money and always slips away just before it's his turn to buy a round._
   - _She was too mean to tip._
14. Excellent, impressively skillful or formidably strong. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very good, strong or skillful in an impressive way.
   - _She plays a mean game of chess._
   - _He mixes a mean cocktail._
15. Poor, inferior or of little worth or importance; shabby.
   - Simple: Poor, cheap or not worth much.
   - _The inn was mean and dirty._
   - _They rented a mean little room with one small window._
17. Difficult or tricky, often in children's speech. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Hard or tricky, often said by children.
   - _The last level of the game is really mean._
   - _Teachers set mean questions on purpose._
18. Lacking dignity of mind and honor; low-minded, spiritless or base.
   - Simple: Low and selfish, with no sense of honor.
   - _Hiding behind his assistant to avoid the blame was a mean, cowardly act._
   - _He felt ashamed of the mean, selfish thoughts that crept in when his brother got the promotion._

## Noun

4. A method or course of action to achieve a result; now chiefly in the plural means, also used as a singular.
   - Simple: A way of doing something, usually in the plural 'means'.
   - _For many villagers, the bus is their only means of getting to town._
   - _A means of escape was found._
12. In mathematics, an average of a set of values, especially their sum divided by how many there are.
   - Simple: In math, an average of a set of numbers, usually found by adding them and dividing by how many there are.
   - _One huge value can drag the mean far from the typical case._
   - _The two groups had different means._
19. Something intermediate or in the middle; an intermediate value or range, or a medium.
   - Simple: Something in the middle between two extremes.
   - _The golden mean is the virtue between two vices._
   - _She tried to find a happy mean between working too hard and not working at all._
20. In mathematics, either of the two middle numbers of a proportion written in the usual way.
   - Simple: In math, either of the two middle numbers in a proportion.
   - _In the proportion 2:5 = 4:10, the numbers 5 and 4 are the means, while 2 and 10 are the extremes._
   - _To find an unknown mean, multiply the extremes and divide by the known mean._
11. The money, income or wealth a person has, especially an amount that supports a comfortable life.
   - Simple: The money someone has or earns, especially enough to live well on.
   - _Students without the financial means to pay tuition can apply for aid._
   - _Living beyond your means on credit cards can quickly lead to serious debt._

## Adjective

21. Low or common in birth, rank, or quality; lowly. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Of low or ordinary birth or rank.
22. Middling or intermediate; moderately good or tolerable. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In the middle, neither high nor low, or fairly good.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In early music, the middle part of three-part polyphony, specifically the alto part, or an alto instrument.
- (verb) To lament; to grieve aloud or complain of a loss.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 5–9, 16** — From Middle English menen ("to intend, remember, lament"), from Old English mǣnan ("to mean, complain"), going back through Proto-Germanic *mainijaną ("to mean, think, complain") to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to think." It is related to German meinen ("to think, mean") and Dutch menen, and also to the word moan.
**Meanings 3, 13–15, 17–18, 21** — From Middle English mene, from Old English mǣne, ġemǣne ("common, public, general"), from Proto-Germanic *gamainiz ("common") and a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to change, exchange, share." It is a doublet of common and is related to German gemein ("common, mean, nasty") and Latin commūnis ("shared, common").
**Meanings 4, 10–12, 19–20, 22** — From Middle English meene, borrowed from Old French meien (modern French moyen), from Late Latin mediānus ("that is in the middle"), from Latin medius ("middle"). It is related to mid and is a doublet of median and mizzen.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mean (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).