Episode #037, 17.06.2012: mean (all meanings)

Sound: /miːn/

I won’t give you the dictionary definitions for a change, because those are rather complicated. Also, you probably already know most meanings. What are the meanings?

1. to intend. As in: “I didn’t mean to do that.” “She meant well.” “The sugar was meant for the cake.” “He was meant (by providence) to do this job.”
2. to convey meaning. “What do you mean?” “Did she mean what she said?” “My home means a lot to me.” “What does this word mean?”
3. cruel, malicious, unkind. “He’s very mean. He tried to make me fall down.”
4. A method or course of action used to achieve some result (now chiefly in plural). “…the means to an end.” “By which means will you accomplish this task?”
5. financial resources. “He lives by his own means.”
6. average, medium. “5 is the mean of 2 and 8.” “A compromise is a mean between two parties.” “The mean sea level is half-way between those of high and low water.”
7. in the mean (intervening) time, while
8. inferior, poor, low in quality. “He is no mean scholar.”

Those are the most common usages. Check your dictionary and wiktionary.org for even more definitions.

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