What is the meaning of mean?

noun

• An average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n.
  • synonyms: mean value

verb

• Mean or intend to express or convey.
  • usage: "You never understand what I mean"; "what do his words intend"
  • synonyms: intend
• Have as a logical consequence.
  • usage: "The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers"
  • synonyms: entail, imply
• Denote or connote.
  • usage: "`maison' means `house' in French"; "An example sentence would show what this word means"
  • synonyms: intend, signify, stand for
• Have in mind as a purpose.
  • usage: "I mean no harm"; "I only meant to help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought to return early that night"
  • synonyms: intend, think
• Have a specified degree of importance.
  • usage: "My ex-husband means nothing to me"; "Happiness means everything"
• Intend to refer to.
  • usage: "I'm thinking of good food when I talk about France"; "Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip"
  • synonyms: think of, have in mind
• Destine or designate for a certain purpose.
  • usage: "These flowers were meant for you"

adjective

• Approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value.
  • usage: "the average income in New England is below that of the nation"; "of average height for his age"; "the mean annual rainfall"
  • synonyms: average
• Characterized by malice.
  • usage: "a hateful thing to do"; "in a mean mood"
  • synonyms: hateful
• Having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality.
  • usage: "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"
  • synonyms: base, meanspirited
• Excellent.
  • usage: "famous for a mean backhand"
• Marked by poverty befitting a beggar.
  • usage: "a beggarly existence in the slums"; "a mean hut"
  • synonyms: beggarly
• Used of persons or behavior. ( characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity)
  • usage: "a mean person"; "he left a miserly tip"
  • synonyms: mingy, miserly, tight
• Used of sums of money. ( so small in amount as to deserve contempt)
  • synonyms: beggarly
• Of no value or worth.
  • usage: "I was caught in the bastardly traffic"
  • synonyms: bastardly