[W/K] :: meaning

  Mean \Mean\ (m[=e]n), v. t. [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?
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              What mean ye by this service ?        --Ex. xii. 26.
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              Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto
              good.                                 --Gen. 1. 20.
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              I am not a Spaniard
              To say that it is yours and not to mean it.
                                                    --Longfellow.
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     2. To signify; to indicate; to import; to denote.
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              What mean these seven ewe lambs ?     --Gen. xxi.
                                                    29.
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              Go ye, and learn what that meaneth.   --Matt. ix.
                                                    13.
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  Meaning \Mean"ing\, n.
     1. That which is meant or intended; intent; purpose; aim;
        object; as, a mischievous meaning was apparent.
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              If there be any good meaning towards you. --Shak.
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     2. That which is signified, whether by act lanquage;
        signification; sense; import; as, the meaning of a hint.
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     3. Sense; power of thinking. [R.]
        [1913 Webster] -- Mean"ing*less, a. -- Mean"ing*ly,
        adv.
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  meaning
       adj : rich in significance or implication; "a meaning look";
             "pregnant with meaning" [syn: meaning(a), pregnant,
              significant]
       n 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]

  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