English [ edit ] Pronunciation [ edit ] Etymology 1 [ edit ] From Middle English mening menyng mean -ing Scots mening ( “ intent, purpose, sense, meaning ” ) , West Frisian miening ( “ opinion, mind ” ) , Dutch mening ( “ view, opinion, judgement ” ) , German Meinung ( “ opinion, view, mind, idea ” ) , Danish Swedish mening ( “ meaning, sense, sentence, opinion ” ) , Icelandic meining ( “ meaning ” ) .
meaning (countable and uncountable plural meanings
( of words, expressions or symbols ) The denotation , referent , or idea connected with a word , expression , or symbol .
1907 Robert W[illiam] Chambers , chapter VIII, in The Younger Set , New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company , →OCLC Elbows almost touching they leaned at ease, idly reading the almost obliterated lines engraved there. ¶ "I never understood it," she observed, lightly scornful. "What occult meaning has a sun-dial for the spooney? I'm sure I don't want to read riddles in a strange gentleman's optics."
The connotation associated with a word, expression, or symbol. The purpose , value , or significance (of something) beyond the fact of that thing's existence .
the meaning of life
The number of persons attending the vigil had a lot of meaning to the families.
( of a person's actions ) Intention .
c. 1610? Walter Raleigh , A Discourse of War :It was their meaning to take what they needed by strong hand.
1859 Charles Dickens , The Haunted House [ …] there was nothing in the house, what there was, was broken, the last people must have lived like pigs, what could the meaning of the landlord be?
Synonyms [ edit ] ( denotation of words etc. ) : acceptation definition parsing sense ( connotation of words etc. ) : flavor implication import insinuation tone ( purpose, significance ) : ( of a person's actions ) : goal , aim , plan , intent Hyponyms [ edit ]
The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn |en|...}} or {{ant |en|...}}.
Derived terms [ edit ] Translations [ edit ] symbolic value of something
Albanian: kuptim (sq) m domethënie (sq) f
Arabic: مَعْنًى (ar) m ( maʕnan ) , الْمَعْنَى (ar) m ( al-maʕnā ) ( definite )
Gulf Arabic: معنى m ( maʕna )
Armenian: իմաստ (hy) ( imast )
Azerbaijani: məna (az)
Bashkir: мәғәнә ( məğənə )
Belarusian: значэ́нне n ( značénnje )
Bengali: অর্থ (bn) ( ortho )
Bulgarian: значе́ние (bg) n ( značénie )
Burmese: အဓိပ္ပါယ် ( a.dhippay )
Catalan: significat (ca) m significació f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 意義 ／ 意义 (zh) ( yìyì ) , 含義 ／ 含义 (zh) ( hányì ) , 意思 (zh) ( yìsi ) , 意味 (zh) ( yìwèi )
Crimean Tatar: mana
Czech: význam (cs) m
Danish: betydning (da) c mening c
Dutch: waarde (nl) f betekenis (nl) m
Esperanto: signifo
Estonian: tähendus (et)
Finnish: merkitys (fi)
French: signification (fr) f sens (fr) m
Galician: significado (gl) m
Georgian: მნიშვნელობა ( mnišvneloba )
German: Bedeutung (de) f
Greek: σημασία (el) f ( simasía )
Gujarati: અર્થ ( arth )
Hausa: ma'ana
Hawaiian: manaʻo
Hebrew: מַשְׁמָעוּת (he) f ( mashma'út )
Hindi: मतलब (hi) m ( matlab ) , अर्थ (hi) m ( arth ) , मअनी f ( maanī )
Hungarian: jelentés (hu)
Icelandic: merking f
Indonesian: arti (id) , makna (id) , maksud (id)
Italian: significato (it) m
Japanese: 意義 (ja) ( いぎ, igi ) , 意味 (ja) ( いみ, imi )
Kazakh: мағына (kk) ( mağyna )
Khmer: សំនួន (km) ( sɑmnuən )
Korean: 뜻 (ko) ( tteut ) , 의미(意味) (ko) ( uimi ) , 의의(意義) (ko) ( uiui )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: wate (ku) , mane (ku)
Kyrgyz: маани (ky) ( maani )
Lao: ຄວາມຫມາຽ ( khuām māi )
Latvian: jēga f nozīme f
Limburgish: beteikenis (li) f
Lithuanian: prasmė (lt) f
Macedonian: значење n ( značenje )
Malay: makna (ms) , erti maksud (ms)
Malayalam: അർത്ഥം (ml) ( aṟtthaṁ ) , സാരം (ml) ( sāraṁ )
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: утга (mn) ( utga )
Mongolian: ᠤᠳᠬ ( udk a )
Norwegian:
Bokmål: mening (no) m or f betydning (no) m or f
Old English: andgiet n
Pashto: معنى f ( ma'nã ) , معنا f ( ma'nã )
Persian: معنی (fa) ( ma'ni ) , مطلب (fa) ( matlab ) ( Dari )
Polish: znaczenie (pl) n
Portuguese: significado (pt) m
Romanian: semnificație (ro) f sens (ro) n
Russian: значе́ние (ru) n ( značénije )
Sanskrit: अर्थ (sa) ( artha )
Scots: meanin
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: зна́че̄ње n
Roman: znáčēnje (sh) n
Slovak: význam m
Slovene: pomen (sl) m
Spanish: sentido (es) m significado (es) m
Swahili: maana (sw)
Swedish: mening (sv) c betydelse (sv) c
Tajik: маънӣ (tg) ( maʾnī ) , маъно (tg) ( maʾno )
Tatar: мәгънә (tt) ( mäğnä )
Thai: ความหมาย (th) ( kwaam-mǎai )
Tocharian B: ārth
Turkish: anlam (tr) , mana (tr) , kasıt (tr)
Turkmen: many
Ukrainian: зна́чення (uk) n ( znáčennja )
Urdu: معنی (ur) f ( ma'nī ) , ارتھ m ( arth ) , مطلب m ( matlab )
Uyghur: مەنە (ug) ( mene )
Uzbek: maʼno (uz)
Vietnamese: nghĩa (vi) (義 ý nghĩa (vi) (意義 (vi) ), ý vị (vi) (意味 (vi) )
Welsh: ystyr (cy) m or f
West Frisian: betsjutting (fy) c
Yiddish: טײַטש m or f ( taytsh )
significance of a thing, as "the meaning of life"
Arabic: مَعْنًى (ar) m ( maʕnan )
Gulf Arabic: معنى m ( maʕna )
Armenian: իմաստ (hy) ( imast )
Bashkir: мәғәнә ( məğənə )
Belarusian: змысл m ( zmysl ) , сэнс (be) m ( sens ) , толк m ( tolk )
Bulgarian: сми́съл (bg) m ( smísǎl )
Catalan: sentit (ca) m significat (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 意義 ／ 意义 (zh) ( yìyì ) , 含義 ／ 含义 (zh) ( hányì ) , 意思 (zh) ( yìsi ) , 意味 (zh) ( yìwèi ) , 目的 (zh) ( mùdì )
Czech: smysl (cs) m
Danish: mening c
Dutch: zin (nl) m
Esperanto: senco (eo)
Finnish: tarkoitus (fi)
French: signification (fr) f
German: Sinn (de) m
Greek: νόημα (el) n ( nóima )
Hungarian: értelem (hu)
Italian: significato (it) m
Japanese: 意義 (ja) ( いぎ, igi ) , 意味 (ja) ( いみ, imi ) , 目的 (ja) ( もくてき, mokuteki )
Korean: 의미(意味) (ko) ( uimi ) , 의의(意義) (ko) ( uiui ) , 목적(目的) (ko) ( mokjeok )
Latvian: jēga f
Macedonian: смисла f ( smisla ) , смисол m ( smisol )
Malayalam: അർത്ഥം (ml) ( aṟtthaṁ ) , സാരം (ml) ( sāraṁ )
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: утга (mn) ( utga )
Mongolian: ᠤᠳᠬ ( udk a )
Norwegian:
Bokmål: mening (no) m or f
Persian: معنی (fa) ( ma'ni )
Polish: sens (pl) m
Portuguese: significado (pt) m sentido (pt) m
Russian: смысл (ru) m ( smysl ) , значе́ние (ru) n ( značénije ) , толк (ru) m ( tolk )
Scots: meanin
Scottish Gaelic: seagh m brìgh f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: сми̑сао m
Roman: smȋsao (sh) m
Slovak: zmysel m
Slovene: smisel (sl) m
Spanish: sentido (es) m
Swahili: maana (sw)
Swedish: mening (sv) c
Thai: ความหมาย (th) ( kwaam-mǎai )
Turkish: anlam (tr)
Ukrainian: сенс (uk) m ( sens ) , зна́чення (uk) n ( znáčennja ) , смисл m ( smysl )
Vietnamese: nghĩa (vi) (義 ý nghĩa (vi) (意義 (vi) ), ý vị (vi) (意味 (vi) )
Welsh: ystyr (cy) m or f
definition or connotation of a word
Arabic: مَعْنًى (ar) m ( maʕnan )
Gulf Arabic: معنى m ( maʕna )
Armenian: իմաստ (hy) ( imast )
Bashkir: мәғәнә ( məğənə )
Belarusian: значэ́нне n ( značénnje ) , сэнс (be) m ( sens ) , змысл m ( zmysl )
Bole: mana
Breton: ster (br) m
Bulgarian: значе́ние (bg) n ( značénie )
Catalan: significat (ca) m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 意思 ( ji3 si1 )
Mandarin: 意思 (zh) ( yìsi ) , 意味 (zh) ( yìwèi )
Czech: význam (cs) m smysl (cs) m
Danish: betydning (da) c
Dutch: betekenis (nl) m
Finnish: merkitys (fi)
French: sens (fr) m
German: Bedeutung (de) f
Greek: σημασία (el) f ( simasía ) , έννοια (el) f ( énnoia )
Gujarati: અર્થ ( arth )
Hausa: ma'ana
Hindi: मतलब (hi) m ( matlab )
Hungarian: jelentés (hu)
Icelandic: meining f merking
Italian: significato (it) m
Japanese: 意味 (ja) ( いみ, imi )
Kapampangan: kabaldugan
Korean: 뜻 (ko) ( tteut ) , 의미(意味) (ko) ( uimi )
Latvian: nozīme f
Lithuanian: reikšmė (lt) f
Macedonian: значење n ( značenje ) , смисла f ( smisla ) , смисол m ( smisol )
Malayalam: അർത്ഥം (ml) ( aṟtthaṁ )
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: утга (mn) ( utga )
Mongolian: ᠤᠳᠬ ( udk a )
Norwegian:
Bokmål: betydning (no) m or f tyding m or f
Old English: ġetācnung f andġiet n
Persian: معنی (fa) ( ma'ni ) , مطلب (fa) ( matlab ) ( Dari )
Polish: znaczenie (pl) n sens (pl) m
Portuguese: significado (pt) m
Russian: значе́ние (ru) n ( značénije ) , толкова́ние (ru) n ( tolkovánije ) , смысл (ru) m ( smysl )
Scots: meanin
Scottish Gaelic: ciallachadh m seagh m brìgh f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: зна́че̄ње n
Roman: znáčēnje (sh) n
Slovak: význam m zmysel m
Slovene: pomen (sl) m smisel (sl) m
Spanish: significado (es) m acepción (es) f sentido de la palabra m
Swahili: maana (sw)
Swedish: betydelse (sv) c
Thai: ความหมาย (th) ( kwaam-mǎai ) , คำแปล (th) ( kam-bplɛɛ )
Ukrainian: зна́чення (uk) n ( znáčennja ) , сенс (uk) m ( sens ) , смисл m ( smysl )
Urdu: مطلب m ( matlab )
Vietnamese: nghĩa (vi) (義 ý nghĩa (vi) (意義 (vi) )
Welsh: ystyr (cy) m or f
Yiddish: טײַטש m or f ( taytsh )
Translations to be checked
Etymology 2 [ edit ] From mean -ing
meaning
present participle and gerund of mean 2013 Lee S. Langston , “The Adaptable Gas Turbine ”, in American Scientist Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo , meaning vortex , and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
Adjective [ edit ] meaning (comparative more meaning , superlative most meaning )
Having a (specified) intention .
Expressing some intention or significance; meaningful .
1839 Edgar Allan Poe , William Wilson I might, to-day, have been a better, and thus a happier man, had I less frequently rejected the counsels embodied in those meaning whispers which I then but too cordially hated and too bitterly despised.
1907 Barbara Baynton , edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980 , page 243 :There was a meaning pause, broken by old Stein again clapping his hands.
1978 Jane Gardam , God on the Rocks , Abacus, published 2014 , page 160 :[T]he new friends […] knew nothing and did not particularly care to hear about the beautiful mother with her long, meaning looks and liquid dresses and distant smile.
References [ edit ] “meaning ”, in OneLook Dictionary Search . Anagrams [ edit ] 