meaning means the denotation, referent, or idea connected with a word, expression, or symbol. It carries an Arena rating of 1398, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, meaning ranks #320 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #2,344 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #6,744 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #7,577 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
meaning is pronounced /ˈmiː.nɪŋ/.
Why “meaning” is a great word
The denotation, referent, or idea connected with a word, expression, or symbol, or the purpose, value, or significance of something. From Middle English *mening*, *menyng*, equivalent to *mean* ("to intend, signify") + *-ing* (forming a verbal noun). Unlike "nuance," which traces delicate shadings within a sentiment, or "definition," which fences a word with lexical precision, meaning is the lived weight of a word, the breath behind the utterance. It is the warmth of a name spoken after years of silence, the particular ache recalled by a forgotten melody, the unspoken understanding in a shared glance—the ghost in the machine of language, carried, like a low ember, in the palm of daily use.
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”).
noun
- The denotation, referent, or idea connected with a word, expression, or symbol.
- The connotation associated with a word, expression, or symbol.
- The purpose, value, or significance (of something) beyond the fact of that thing's existence.e.g.“Near-synonyms: meaningfulness, point, purpose, significance, use”
- Intention.e.g.“It was their meaning to take what they needed by strong hand.” — c. 1610?, Walter Raleigh, A Discourse of War:
adj
- Having a (specified) intention.e.g.“Well/ill meaning.”
- Expressing some intention or significance; meaningful.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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