Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Mean \Mean\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Meant}; 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, and to E. mind. ?. See {Mind}, and cf. {Moan}.]
1. 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.
Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto
good. --Gen. 1. 20.
I am not a Spaniard To say that it is yours and not
to mean it. --Longfellow.
2. To signify; to indicate; to import; to denote.
What mean these seven ewe lambs ? --Gen. xxi.
29.
Go ye, and learn what that me?neth. --Matt. ix.
13.
Meant \Meant\,
imp. & p. p. of {Mean}.
Source : WordNet®
mean
adj 1: approximating the statistical norm or average or expected
value; "the average income in New England is below
that of the nation"; "of average height for his age";
"the mean annual rainfall" [syn: {average}, {mean(a)}]
2: characterized by malice; "a hateful thing to do"; "in a mean
mood" [syn: {hateful}]
3: having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality;
"that liberal obedience without which your army would be a
base rabble"- Edmund Burke; "taking a mean advantage";
"chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare;
"something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in
politics" [syn: {base}, {meanspirited}]
4: excellent; "famous for a mean backhand"
5: marked by poverty befitting a beggar; "a beggarly existence
in the slums"; "a mean hut" [syn: {beggarly}]
6: used of persons or behavior; characterized by or indicative
of lack of generosity; "a mean person"; "he left a miserly
tip" [syn: {mingy}, {miserly}, {tight}]
7: used of sums of money; so small in amount as to deserve
contempt [syn: {beggarly}]
[also: {meant}]
mean
n : an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of
the numbers and dividing by some function of n [syn: {mean
value}]
[also: {meant}]
mean
v 1: mean or intend to express or convey; "You never understand
what I mean!"; "what do his words intend?" [syn: {intend}]
2: have as a logical consequence; "The water shortage means
that we have to stop taking long showers" [syn: {entail},
{imply}]
3: denote or connote; "`maison' means `house' in French"; "An
example sentence would show what this word means" [syn: {intend},
{signify}, {stand for}]
4: have in mind as a purpose; "I mean no harm"; "I only meant
to help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought
to return early that night" [syn: {intend}, {think}]
5: have a specified degree of importance; "My ex-husband means
nothing to me"; "Happiness means everything"
6: intend to refer to; "I'm thinking of good food when I talk
about France"; "Yes, I meant you when I complained about
people who gossip!" [syn: {think of}, {have in mind}]
7: destine or designate for a certain purpose; "These flowers
were meant for you"
[also: {meant}]
meant
See {mean}