mean
/miːn/
adjective
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*mainijaz — common, shared
Overview
Meaning Now
- Unkind, spiteful, or malicious in nature.
- Small-minded, penurious, or stingy.
- Of low social rank or inferior quality.
Literal older meaning
common, shared, or belonging to the commonality
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
mǣne
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The evolution of 'mean' shows a strong tendency toward pejoration. Originally denoting shared property or common status, it shifted to describe those of lower social classes ('mean estate'), and eventually carried a connotation of low moral character or stinginess.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*mei-
“to change, go, move”
Original sense relating to exchange or commonality.
- Proto-Germanic
*mainijaz
“held in common, shared”
- Old English
mǣne
“common, shared, communal”
- Middle English
mene
“low-born, common; inferior”
Semantic narrowing from 'common' to 'inferior'.
- Early Modern English
mean
“unkind, malicious”
Association with inferiority led to moral judgment.
Connections
Word parts
mean
root
common, base, unkind
Related across languages
German
gemein
common, base, or mean
Dutch
gemeen
common, mean, or nasty
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Related to mean
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.