meant
/mɛnt/
verb
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*mainijaną — to intend, think, signify
Overview
Meaning Now
- Past tense and past participle of 'mean'; having intended to express, signify, or result in something.
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
meante
Earliest period
12th century
Journey
The word 'meant' evolved from the Old English 'mænan', which originally encompassed both 'to intend' and 'to complain/lament'. The two senses diverged over time; the 'lament' sense became obsolete in standard English, while the 'intend' sense persisted.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*mey-
“to remember, think of”
- Proto-Germanic
*mainijaną
“to intend, express, tell”
- Old English
mænan
“to mean, signify, complain”
- Middle English
menten
“intended”
Development of the past tense suffix
Connections
Word parts
mean
root
intend
-t
suffix
past tense marker
Related across languages
German
meinen
to think, to mean
Dutch
menen
to mean, to believe
Related words
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Related to meant
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.