mean

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 [he means to go]

2.

a) to intend or design for a certain person or purpose [a gift meant for you]

b) to destine or seem to destine [he was meant to be a doctor]

3. to intend to express, signify, or indicate [to say what one means]

4.

a) to be used to convey; denote [the German word “ja” means “yes”]

b) to be a sign, indication, or herald of; signify [this means war!]

vi.

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]

SYN.- INTEND

——————

mean well by

to have good intentions or friendly, helpful feelings toward

mean² [mēn]

adj.

[ME mene, common, hence mean < OE (ge)mæne, akin to Ger gemein, plentiful, COMMON]

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

a) hard to cope with; difficult [to throw a mean curve in baseball]

b) skillful; expert [to play a mean game of chess]

SYN.- BASE²

meanly

adv.

meanness

n.

mean³ [mēn]

adj.

[ME mene < OFr meien (Fr moyen) < L medianus: see MEDIAN]

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

2. medium; average; middling

n.

1. what is between extremes; intermediate state, quality, course, or procedure

2. avoidance of extremes or excess; moderation

3. Math.

a) a number between the smallest and largest values of a set of quantities, obtained by some prescribed method: unless otherwise qualified, the ARITHMETIC MEAN

b) 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

c) the second or third term of a four-term proportion: see also GEOMETRIC MEAN, MEANS

SYN.- AVERAGE