4 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Mean \Mean\ (m[=e]n), verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Meant} (m[e^]nt); 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. [root]104. 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 meaneth. --Matt. ix. 13.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Meaning \Mean"ing\, noun
1. That which is meant or intended; intent; purpose; aim; object; as, a mischievous meaning was apparent.
If there be any good meaning towards you. --Shak.
2. That which is signified, whether by act lanquage; signification; sense; import; as, the meaning of a hint.
3. Sense; power of thinking. [R.] -- {Mean"ing*less}, adjective -- {Mean"ing*ly}, adverb
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
meaning
adjective
1: rich in significance or implication; "a meaning look"; "pregnant with meaning" [syn: {meaning(a)}, {pregnant}, {significant}]noun
1: the message that is intended or expressed or signified; "what is the meaning of this sentence"; "the significance of a red traffic light"; "the signification of Chinese characters"; "the import of his announcement was ambigtuous" [syn: {significance}, {signification}, {import}] 2: the idea that is intended; "What is the meaning of this proverb?" [syn: {substance}]From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
124 Moby Thesaurus words for "meaning": acceptation, aim, allegory, allusion, ambition, animus, arcane meaning, aspiration, assumption, balefulness, banefulness, bodefulness, characterization, coloration, connotation, construction, content, counsel, definition, denomination, denotation, description, desideration, desideratum, design, designation, desire, determination, diagnosis, differentiation, direness, disclosure, doomfulness, drift, effect, essence, explanation, expression, fatality, fatefulness, fingering, fixed purpose, force, function, gist, hint, idea, identification, implication, implied meaning, import, indication, indicativeness, inference, innuendo, intendment, intent, intention, interpretation, intimation, ironic suggestion, manifestation, message, metaphorical sense, mind, motive, naming, nisus, nuance, occult meaning, ominousness, overtone, picking out, plan, point, pointing, pointing out, pointing to, portent, portentousness, presagefulness, presumption, presupposition, project, proposal, prospectus, purport, purpose, reading, resolution, resolve, sake, selection, sense, show, showing, significance, significancy, signification, sinisterness, specification, spirit, striving, study, subsense, subsidiary sense, substance, suggestion, suggestiveness, sum and substance, supposition, symbolism, symptomaticness, tenor, tinge, touch, undercurrent, undermeaning, understanding, undertone, value, view, way of seeing, will