“meaneth” is a form of
mean
UK /miːn/ · US /min/ verb, adjective, noun
Forms means meaning meant meaner meanest myn
- verb (transitive) To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention. “I didn't mean to knock your tooth out.”
- verb (intransitive) To have as intentions of a given kind. “Don't be angry; she meant well.”
- verb (transitive, usually in passive) To intend (something) for a given purpose or fate; to predestine. “Actually this desk was meant for the subeditor.”
- verb (transitive) To intend an ensuing comment or statement as an explanation. “Your reasoning seems needlessly abstruse, complex, and verbose for me. I mean, could you dumb it down for my sake?”
- verb (transitive) To convey (a given sense); to signify, or indicate (an object or idea). “The sky is red this morning—does that mean we're in for a storm?”
- verb (transitive) Of a word, symbol etc: to have reference to, to signify. “What does this hieroglyph mean?”
- verb (transitive) Of a person (or animal etc): to intend to express, to imply, to hint at, to allude. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”
- verb (transitive) To have conviction in (something said or expressed); to be sincere in (what one says). “Does she really mean what she said to him last night?”
- adjective (obsolete) Common; general.
- adjective (now rare) Of a common or low origin, grade, or quality; common; humble. “a man of mean parentage”
- adjective Low in quality or degree; inferior; poor; shabby. “a mean appearance”
- adjective Without dignity of mind; destitute of honour; low-minded; spiritless; base. “You hurt her feelings - that was a mean thing to do.”
- adjective Of little value or worth; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable.
- adjective (chiefly UK) Ungenerous; stingy; tight-fisted. “He's so mean. I've never seen him spend so much as five pounds on presents for his children.”
- adjective Disobliging; pettily offensive or unaccommodating.
- adjective Intending to cause harm, successfully or otherwise; bearing ill will towards another. “Watch out for her: she's mean. I said good morning to her, and she punched me in the nose.”
- adjective Having the mean as its value; average. “The mean family has 2.4 children.”
- adjective (obsolete) Middling; intermediate; moderately good, tolerable.
- noun (now chiefly in the plural form means, also in a singular sense) A method or course of action used to achieve some result.
- noun (obsolete, in the singular) An intermediate step or intermediate steps.
Synonyms
intend convey indicate signify hint imply get at bring about cause lead to result in grieve mourn afterthink becry begrieve bemoan bemourn bewail beweep mean value entail stand for think think of have in mind average hateful base meanspirited
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English menen (“to intend; remember; lament; comfort”), from Old English mǣnan (“to mean, complain”), Proto-West Germanic *mainijan, from Proto-Germanic *mainijaną (“to mean, think; complain”), from Proto-Indo-European *meyn- (“to think”), or perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *meyno-, extended form of Proto-Indo-European *mey-.
Germanic cognates include West Frisian miene (“to deem, think”) (Old Frisian mēna (“to signify”)), Dutch menen (“to believe, think, mean”) (Middle Dutch menen (“to think, intend”)), German meinen (“to think, mean, believe”), Old Saxon mēnian. Indo-European cognates include Old Irish mían (“wish, desire”) and Polish mienić (“to signify, believe”). Non-Indo-European cognates include Finnish mainita (“to mention”), Finnish meinata (“to mean, to plan, to intend”) Estonian mainima (“to mention”), Northern Sami máinnastit (“to tell”). Related to moan.
From Middle English mene, imene, from Old English mǣne, ġemǣne (“common, public, general, universal”), from Proto-West Germanic *gamainī, from Proto-Germanic *gamainiz (“common”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to change, exchange, share”). Doublet of common.
Cognate with West Frisian mien (“general, universal”), Dutch gemeen (“common, mean”), German gemein (“common, mean, nasty”), Danish gemen, Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (gamains, “common, unclean”), Latin commūnis (“shared, common, general”) (Old Latin comoinem). For a similar change in definition, see vulgar.
From Middle English meene, borrowed from Old French meien (French moyen), Late Latin mediānus (“that is in the middle, middle”), from Latin medius (“middle”). Cognate with mid. For the musical sense, compare the cognate Italian mezzano. Doublet of median and mizzen.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To have in the mind, as a purpose, intention, etc.; to intend; to purpose; to design; as, what do you mean to do What mean ye by this service Ex. xii. 26.
- verb To signify; to indicate; to import; to denote.
- verb To have a purpose or intention. [Rare, except in the phrase to mean well, or ill.] Shak.
- adjective Destitute of distinction or eminence; common; low; vulgar; humble.
Etymology [OE. menen, AS. mænan to recite, tell, intend, wish; akin to OS. menian to have in mind, mean, D. meenen, G. meinen, OHG. meinan, Icel. meina, Sw. mena, Dan. mene, and to E. mind. Mind, and cf. Moan.]
Etymology [OE. mene, AS. m wicked; akin to man, a., wicked, n., wickedness, OS. m wickedness, OHG. mein, G. meineid perjury, Icel. mein harm, hurt, and perh. to AS. gem common, general, D. gemeen, G. gemein, Goth. gamáins, and L. communis. The AS. gem prob. influenced the meaning.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mean”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details