mean
$ \mathrm{mean}^1 | mēn |
verb (past and past participle meant | ment | ) with object
1. intend to convey, indicate, or refer to (a particular thing or notion); signify:
〖mean A by B〗 B〈言葉〉によってAを言うつもりである;〖mean A(as B)〗 〈人が〉A〈言葉など〉を(Bのつもりで)言う;〖～(that)節〗 …のことを言う (!進行形にしない)
e.g. I don't know what you mean
e.g. he was asked to clarify what his remarks meant
e.g. I meant you, not Jones.
(of a word) have (something) as its signification in the same language or its equivalent in another language:
〈言葉･記号などが〉…を意味する, 表す; 〖mean (that)節〗 …ということを意味する (!進行形にしない)
e.g. its name means “painted rock” in Cherokee.
genuinely intend to convey or express (something):
e.g. when she said that before, she meant it.
(mean something to) be of some specified importance to (someone), especially as a source of benefit or object of affection:
〖mean A to B〗 B〈人〉にとってAの意味, 重要性をもつ (!進行形･受け身にしない; Aは通例a lot, more, everything, nothingなど)
e.g. animals have always meant more to him than people.
2. intend (something) to occur or be the case:
〈行動など〉を起こす気である; 〖mean AB/B to A〗 A〈人〉にB〈悪意など〉を抱く, 加える意図がある
e.g. they mean no harm
e.g. with infinitive : it was meant to be a secret.
(be meant to do something) be supposed or intended to do something:
｟主に英｠ ; 〖be meant to do〗 〈人が〉…することになっている, 〈物･事が〉…だとされている
e.g. we were meant to go over yesterday.
(often be meant for) design or destine for a particular purpose:
〖be meant for A〗 〈人･物が〉A〈人･目的など〉に当てられる, 向けられる
e.g. the jacket was meant for a much larger person.
(mean something by) have as a motive or excuse in explanation:
e.g. what do you mean by leaving me out here in the cold?
3. have as a consequence or result:
〖mean A/(that)節〗 A, …ということになる, A, …ということの前兆である; 〖mean (A) doing〗 (A〈人〉にとって)…する結果になる, …するということに等しい
e.g. the proposals are likely to mean another hundred closures
e.g. with clause : heavy rain meant that the ground was waterlogged.
necessarily or usually entail or involve:
e.g. coal stoves mean a lot of smoke.
PHRASES
I mean
used to clarify or correct a statement or to introduce a justification or explanation: I mean, it's not as if I owned property.
mean to say
usually in questions really admit or intend to say: do you mean to say you've uncovered something new?
mean well
have good intentions, but not always the ability to carry them out.
ORIGIN
Old English mænan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch meenen and German meinen, from an Indo-European root shared by mind.
$ \mathrm{mean}^2 | mēn |
https://gyazo.com/076d8d6051fce455e3aec6ceeb111712
source: mario mean GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY
adjective
1. chiefly British unwilling to give or share things, especially money; not generous:
｟主に英｠ «…に対して» けちな(stingy) «with, about»
e.g. she felt mean not giving a tip
e.g. they're not mean with the garlic.
2. unkind, spiteful, or unfair:
｟ややくだけて｠ «…に対して» 意地の悪い, 卑劣な «to» ; 〖it is ～(of A) to do〗 …するとは(Aは)意地が悪い
e.g. it was very mean of me
e.g. she is always mean to my little brother.
North American vicious or aggressive in behavior:
｟主に米｠ 〈人･動物などが〉敵意のある; たちの悪い, 凶暴な
e.g. the dogs were considered mean.
3. (especially of a place) poor in quality and appearance; shabby:
｟文｠ みすぼらしい, 汚い〈住まい･通りなど〉
e.g. her home was mean and small.
(of a person's mental capacity or understanding) inferior; poor:
｟かたく｠ 〖名詞の前で〗劣った〈能力など〉
e.g. it was obvious to even the meanest intelligence.
dated of low birth or social class:
｟やや古｠ 身分の低い, 卑しい
e.g. it was a hat like that worn by the meanest of people.
4. informal excellent; very skillful or effective:
｟主に米･くだけて｠ 〖名詞の前で〗とてもいい, うまい
e.g. he's a mean cook
e.g. she dances a mean Charleston.
PHRASES
no mean ——
denoting something very good of its kind: it was no mean feat.
DERIVATIVES
meanly | ˈmēnlē | adverb
ORIGIN
Middle English, shortening of Old English gemǣne, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin communis ‘common’. The original sense was ‘common to two or more people’, later ‘inferior in rank’, leading to mean2 (sense 3) and a sense ‘ignoble, small-minded’, from which mean2 (sense 1 and sense 2) (which became common in the 19th century) arose.
$ \mathrm{mean}^3 | mēn |
noun
1. the value obtained by dividing the sum of several quantities by their number; an average:
〖しばしばthe ～〗 〘数〙 平均(値)(average); (比例式の)中項.
e.g. acid output was calculated by taking the mean of all three samples. See also arithmetic mean, geometric mean.
2. a condition, quality, or course of action equally removed from two opposite (usually unsatisfactory) extremes:
〖単数形で〗【両(極)端の】中間(点); 中庸 «between» .
e.g. the mean between two extremes.
adjective attributive
1. (of a quantity) calculated as a mean; average:
〖名詞の前で〗平均の, 中間の(average)
e.g. by 1989, the mean age at marriage stood at 24.8 for women and 26.9 for men.
2. equally far from two extremes:
e.g. hope is the mean virtue between despair and presumption.
ORIGIN
Middle English: from Old French meien, from Latin medianus ‘middle’ (see median).