meaning

A2 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˈmi.nɪŋ/ UK /ˈmiː.nɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Freq #1597

Meanings

1

noun
What a word, sign, or action expresses or stands for.

What is the meaning of this sentence?
2

noun
The purpose, value, or importance of something.

Many people search for the meaning of life.
3

noun
What a person intends to say or do; intention.

It was their meaning to take only what they needed.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · what a word, sign, or... sense definition

2 noun · the purpose, value, or... purpose significance

3 noun · what a person intends to... intent aim

Word family

Forms meaninglymeaningsunmeaning

Derived forms antimeaningforemeaningmeaningedmeaningful meaningless meaninglessly meaninglessnessmeaninglymeaningnessnonmeaningsubmeaningundermeaning

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

grammatical meaning
meaning conveyed by a word's form or its role in a sentence

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English mening, menyng, equivalent to mean + -ing. Cognate with Scots mening (“intent, purpose, sense, meaning”), West Frisian miening (“opinion, mind”), Dutch mening (“view, opinion, judgement”), German Meinung (“opinion, view, mind, idea”), Danish and Swedish mening (“meaning, sense, sentence, opinion”), Icelandic meining (“meaning”).

mening Middle English

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Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# meaning

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmi.nɪŋ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmiː.nɪŋ/
**Frequency rank:** 1597

## Meanings
1. What a word, sign, or action expresses or stands for.
2. The purpose, value, or importance of something.
3. What a person intends to say or do; intention.

## Examples
- What is the meaning of this sentence?
- Many people search for the meaning of life.
- It was their meaning to take only what they needed.

## Derived Forms
- antimeaning
- foremeaning
- meaninged
- meaningful
- meaningless
- meaninglessly
- meaninglessness
- meaningly
- meaningness
- nonmeaning
- submeaning
- undermeaning

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: mening

## Etymology
From Middle English mening, menyng, equivalent to mean + -ing. Cognate with Scots mening (“intent, purpose, sense, meaning”), West Frisian miening (“opinion, mind”), Dutch mening (“view, opinion, judgement”), German Meinung (“opinion, view, mind, idea”), Danish and Swedish mening (“meaning, sense, sentence, opinion”), Icelandic meining (“meaning”).

## AI Etymology
Meaning comes from Middle English mening, menyng, equivalent to mean + -ing. Cognate with Scots mening (“intent, purpose, sense, meaning”), West Frisian miening (“opinion, mind”), Dutch mening (“view, opinion, judgement”), German Meinung (“opinion, view, mind, idea”), Danish and Swedish mening (“meaning, sense, sentence, opinion”), Icelandic meining (“meaning”). In present-day English its meanings include what a word, sign, or action expresses or stands for, the purpose, value, or importance of something, and what a person intends to say or do; intention. Related and derived forms include antimeaning, foremeaning, and meaninged.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

markdown