Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Mean |
MeanAdjective1. (statistics) approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value; "the average income in New England is below that of the nation"; "of average height for his age"; "the mean annual rainfall". 2. Characterized by malice; "a hateful thing to do"; "in a mean mood". 3. Having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality; "that liberal obedience without which your army would be a base rabble"- Edmund Burke; "taking a mean advantage"; "chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare; "something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics". 4. (slang) excellent; "famous for a mean backhand". 5. Marked by poverty befitting a beggar; "a beggarly existence in the slums"; "a mean hut". 6. Used of persons or behavior; characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity; "a mean person"; "he left a miserly tip". 7. Used of sums of money; so small in amount as to deserve contempt. Noun1. An average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n. Verb1. Mean or intend to express or convey; "You never understand what I mean!" "what do his words intend?". 2. Have as a logical consequence; "The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers". 3. Denote or connote; "`maison' means `house' in French"; "An example sentence would show what this word means". 4. Have in mind as a purpose; "I mean no harm"; "I only meant to help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought to return early that night". 5. Have a specified degree of importance; "My ex-husband means nothing to me"; "Happiness means everything". 6. "I'm thinking of good food when I talk about France"; "Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!". 7. Destine or designate for a certain purpose; "These flowers were meant for you". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "mean" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | = arithmetic mean. (references) |
Census | This measure represents an arithmetic average of a set of numbers. It is derived by dividing the sum of a group of numerical items by the total number of items in that group. For example, mean family income is obtained by dividing the total of all income reported by people 15 years and over in families by the total number of families. Related term: Derived measures. (references) |
| The arithmetic average of a set of numbers. (references) | |
Math | The (arithmetic) mean of some values is the sum of all values divided by the number of values. (references) |
Mathematics | A value, typical or representative of a set of data. Since such typical values tend to lie centrally within a set of data arranged according to magnitude. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | An arithmetic average of a series of values; esp. arithmetic mean.CF:mode. (references) |
Statistics | The arithmetic mean of a set of values is the sum of the values divided by their number. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The arithmetic mean is a widely used formalization of the idea of the average of a set of numbers. It is defined as the sum of all the members of such a set divided by the number of items in the set. If the set is a population, then we speak of the "population mean". If the set is a sample, we call the resulting statistic a "sample mean".The mean may be conceived of as an estimate of the median. When the mean is not an accurate estimate of the median, the set of numbers, or frequency distribution, is said to be skewed.
We denote the set of data by X = {x1, x2, ..., xn}. The symbol µ (Greek: mu) is used to denote the arithmetic mean of a population. We use the name of the variable, X, with a horizontal bar over it as the symbol ("X bar") for a sample mean. Both are computed in the same way:
The arithmetic mean is greatly influenced by outliers. For instance, reporting the "average" annual income in Redmond, Washington as the arithmetic mean of all annual incomes would yield a surprisingly high number because of Bill Gates. These distortions occur when the mean is different from the median, and the median is a superior alternative when that happens..
In certain situations, the arithmetic mean is the wrong concept of "average" altogether. For example, if a stock rose 10% in the first year, 30% in the second year and fell 10% in the third year, then it would be incorrect to report its "average" increase per year over this three year period as the arithmetic mean (10% + 30% + (-10%))/3 = 10%; the correct average in this case is the geometric mean which yields an average increase per year of only 8.8%.
If X is a random variable, then the expected value of X can be seen as the long-term arithmetic mean that occurs on repeated measurements of X. This is the content of the law of large numbers. As a result, the sample mean is used to estimate unknown expected values.
Note that several other "means" have been defined, including the generalized mean, the harmonic mean, the arithmetic-geometric mean, and the weighted mean.
See also: mean, average, summary statistics, variance, central tendency
(When used as a noun, the word "arithmetic" is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable, but when used in the present sense, as an adjective, the accent is on the third syllable: "arithMETic")
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arithmetic mean."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In general expectation is what is considered the most likely to happen. A less advantageous result gives rise to the emotion of disappointment. If something happens that is not at all expected it is a surprise.In probability (and especially gambling), the expected value (or expectation) of a random variable is the sum of the probability of each possible outcome of the experiment multiplied by its payoff ("value"). Thus, it represents the average amount one "expects" to win per bet if bets with identical odds are repeated many times. Note that the value itself may not be expected in the general sense, it may be unlikely or even impossible.
For example, an American Roulette wheel has 38 equally possible outcomes. A bet placed on a single number pays 35-to-1 (this means that he is paid 35 times his bet, while also his bet is returned, together he gets 36 times his bet). So the expected value of the profit resulting from a $1 bet on a single number is, considering all 38 possible outcomes: ( -1 × 37/38 ) + ( 35 × 1/38 ), which is about -0.0526. Therefore one expects, on average, to lose over 5 cents for every dollar bet.
In general, if X is a random variable defined on a probability space (Ω, P), then the expected value EX of X is defined as
where the Lebesgue integral is employed. Note that not all random variables have an expected value, since the integral may not exist. Two variables with the same probability distribution will have the same expected value.
If X is a discrete random variable with values x1, x2, ... and corresponding probabilities p1, p2, ... which add up to 1, then EX can be computed as the sum or series
as in the gambling example mentioned above.
If the probability distribution of X admits a probability density function f(x), then the expected value can be computed as
The expected value operator (or expectation operator) E is linear in the sense that
for any two random variables X and Y (which need to be defined on the same probability space) and any two real numbers a and b.
- E(aX + bY) = a EX + b EY
The expected values of the powers of X are called the moments of X; the moments about the mean of X are also defined as certain expected values.
In general, the expected value operator is not multiplicative, i.e. E(XY) is not necessarily equal to EX EY, except if X and Y are independent. The difference, in the general case, gives rise to the covariance and correlation.
To empirically estimate the expected value of a random variable, one repeatedly measures values of the variable and computes the arithmetic mean of the results. This estimates the true expected value and has the property of minimizing the sum of the squares of the errors away from the expected value.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Expected value."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In statistics, mean has two related meanings:
Sample mean is often used as an estimator of the central tendency such as the population mean. However, other estimators are also used. For example, the median is a more robust estimator of the central tendency than the sample mean.
- the average in ordinary English, which is more correctly called the arithmetic mean, to distinguish it from geometric mean or harmonic mean. The average is also called sample mean.
- the expected value of a random variable, which is also called population mean.
For a real-valued random variable X, the mean is the expectation of X. If the expectation does not exist, then the random variable has no mean.
For a data set, the mean is just the sum of all the observations divided by the number of observations. Once we have chosen this method of describing the communality of a data set, we usually use the standard deviation to describe how the observations differ. The standard deviation is the square root of the average of squared deviations from the mean.
The mean is the unique value about which the sum of squared deviations is a minimum. If you calculate the sum of squared deviations from any other measure of central tendency, it will be larger than for the mean. This explains why the standard deviation and the mean are usually cited together in statistical reports.
An alternative measure of dispersion is the mean deviation equivalent to the average absolute deviation from the mean. It is less sensitive to outliers, but less tractable whaen combining data sets.
The mean value of a function, , on an interval, , can also be calculated (using a limiting process on the data set definition) thus:
Note that not every probability distribution has a defined mean or variance - see the Cauchy distribution for an example.
The following is a summary of some of the multiple methods for calculating the mean of a set of n numbers. See the table of mathematical symbols for explanations of the symbols used.
Arithmetic Mean
The arithmetic mean is the "standard" average, often simply called the "mean". It is used for many purposes but also often abused by incorrectly using it to describe skewed distributions, with highly misleading results. The classic example is average income - using the arithmetic mean makes it appear to be much higher than is in fact the case. Consider the scores {1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 9}. The arithmetic mean is 3.16, but five out of six scores are below this!)
Geometric Mean
The geometric mean is an average which is useful for sets of numbers which are interpreted according to their product and not their sum (as is the case with the arithmetic mean). For example rates of growth.
Harmonic Mean
The harmonic mean is an average which is useful for sets of numbers which are defined in relation to some unit, for example speed (distance per unit of time).
Generalized Mean
The generalized mean is an abstraction of the Arithmetic, Geometric and Harmonic Means.
By choosing the appropriate value for the parameter m we can get the arithmetic mean (m = 1), the geometric mean (m -> 0) or the harmonic mean (m = -1)
This could be generalised further as
and again a suitable choice of an invertible f(x) will give the arithmetic mean with f(x)=x, the geometric mean with f(x)=log(x), and the harmonic mean with f(x)=1/x.
Weighted Mean
The weighted mean is used, if one wants to combine average values from samples of the same population with different sample sizes:
The weights represent the bounds of the partial sample. In other applications they represent a measure for the reliability of the influence upon the mean by respective values.
Interquartile mean
The interquartile mean is used when a set of numbers (the data) might be contaminated by inaccurate (ie. much too low or much too high) values. This is simply the arithmetic mean after removing a certain number of the lowest and the highest values. The number of values removed is indicated as a percentage of total number of values.
See also
- Central tendency
- Descriptive statistics
- Kurtosis
- Mode
- Summary statistics
Further reading
- Darrell Huff, How to lie with statistics, Victor Gollancz, 1954.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Mean."
Synonyms: MeanSynonyms: average (adj), base (adj), beggarly (adj), hateful (adj), mean(a) (adj), meanspirited (adj), mingy (adj), miserly (adj), tight (adj), mean value (n), entail (v), have in mind (v), imply (v), intend (v), signify (v), stand for (v), think (v), think of (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Commonalty | Adjective: ignoble, common, mean, low, base, vile, sorry, scrubby, beggarly; below par; no great shakes; (unimportant); homely, homespun; vulgar, low-minded; snobbish. |
Disrepute | Ignominious, scrubby, dirty, abject, vile, beggarly, pitiful, low, mean, shabby base; (dishonorable). |
Improbity | Contemptible, unrespectable, abject, mean, shabby, little, paltry, dirty, scurvy, scabby, sneaking, groveling, scrubby, rascally, pettifogging; beneath one. |
Inexpedience | Vile, base, villainous; mean; (paltry); injured; deteriorated; unsatisfactory, exceptionable indifferent; below par; (imperfect); illcontrived, ill-conditioned; wretched, sad, grievous, deplorable, lamentable; pitiful, pitiable, woeful; (painful). |
Intention | Verb: intend, purpose, design, mean; have to; propose to oneself; harbor a design; have in view, have in contemplation, have in one's eye, have in-petto; have an eye to. |
Mid-course | Noun: middle course, midcourse; mean; middle; juste milieu, mezzo termine, golden mean, |
Middle | Noun: middle, midst, mediety, mean; medium, middle term; center; mid-course; mezzo termine; juste milieu; halfway house, nave, navel, omphalos; nucleus, nucleolus. |
Adjective: middle, medial, mesial, mean, mid, median, average; middlemost, midmost; mediate; intermediate; (interjacent); equidistant; central; mediterranean, equatorial; homocentric. | |
Parsimony | Adjective: parsimonious, penurious, stingy, miserly, mean, shabby, peddling, scrubby, penny wise, near, close; fast handed, close handed, strait handed; close fisted, hard fisted, tight fisted; tight, sparing; chary; grudging, griping; Verb: illiberal, ungenerous, churlish, hidebound, sordid, mercenary, venal, covetous, usurious, avaricious, greedy, extortionate, rapacious. |
Selfishness | Illiberal, mean, ungenerous, narrow-minded; mercenary, venal; covetous. |
Servility | Adjective: servile, obsequious; supple,supple as a glove; soapy, oily, pliant, cringing, abased, dough-faced, fawning, slavish, groveling, sniveling, mealy-mouthed; beggarly, sycophantic, parasitical; abject, prostrate, down on ones marrowbones; base, mean, sneaking; crouching; Verb: |
Unimportance | Poor, paltry, pitiful; contemptible; (contempt); sorry, mean, meager, shabby, miserable, wretched, vile, scrubby, scrannel, weedy, scurvy, putid, beggarly, worthless, twopennyhalfpenny, cheap, trashy, catchpenny, gimcrack, trumpery; one-horse. not worth the pains, not worth while, not worth mentioning, not worth speaking of, not worth a thought, not worth a curse, not worth a straw; Noun: beneath notice, unworthy of notice, beneath regard, unworthy of regard, beneath consideration, unworthy of consideration; de lana caprina; vain; (useless). |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I mean, if Eisenhower were here instead of me he'd be dead by now. (The American President; writing credit: Aaron Sorkin.) I didn't mean to scare you. I just think you're interesting (American Beauty; writing credit: Alan Ball) You mean this literally, I take it (Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles; writing credit: Anne Rice) Tell me, would you be likely to sue me if I was to beat you right now? I mean, beat you so bad you piss blood and couldn't walk for a month (The Sweet Hereafter; writing credit: Atom Egoyan) It'll mean that we love one another (Moulin Rouge!; writing credit: Baz Luhrmann; Craig Pearce) | |
Lyrics | Cause it don't mean nothin' (Don't Mean Nothing; performing artist: Richard Marx) It's a mean ol' world (Mean Old World; performing artist: Robert Palmer) All I mean now, there's one thing (The Look Of Love; performing artist: ABC) Crying words that you mean (Goody Two Shoes; performing artist: Adam Ant) I guess they don't mean a thing (What It Takes; performing artist: Aerosmith) | |
Clever | To my mind Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature Congressman. (references; author: Mark Twain) Don't listen to what I say; listen to what I mean. (references; author: unknown) Even if I'm not asleep, that doesn't mean I'm awake. (references; author: unknown) Having the right to do it doesn't mean it is right to do it. (references; author: unknown) Guys, just because you have one, doesn't mean you have to be one. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | And I Don't Mean Maybe (1973) Mean Mother (1973) It Don't Mean a Thing (1967) The Mean Green Midget (1967) Mean Moe Day (1963) | |
Song Titles | Do You Know What I Mean (performing artist: Lee Michaels) You Mean Everything To Me (performing artist: Neil Sedaka) Don't Mean Nothing (performing artist: Richard Marx) I Didn't Mean To Turn You On (performing artist: Robert Palmer) You Mean The World To Me (performing artist: Toni Braxton) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Diagram showing relationship of tide to marker at Poolbeg Lighthouse Datum referred to low water April 8, 1837 for County Dublin Note use of Mean Sea Level. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Photo #6 of 8. Having reached the "buster" molt stage, a Maryland blue crab , Callinectes sapidus, sheds its shell. The genus and species mean tasty beautiful swimmer. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | Photo #7 of 8. Having reached the "buster" molt stage, a Maryland blue crab , Callinectes sapidus, sheds its shell. The genus and species mean tasty beautiful swimmer. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Photo #1 of 8. Having reached the "buster" molt stage, a Maryland blue crab , Callinectes sapidus, has begun the process of shedding its shell. The genus and species mean tasty beautiful swimmer. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | Photo #2 of 8. Having reached the "buster" molt stage, a Maryland blue crab , Callinectes sapidus, sheds its shell. During its lifetime a crab may molt 20 to 25 times, increasing its size as much as 1/4 to 1/3 each time. The genus and species mean tasty beautiful swimmer. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Photo #3 of 8. Having reached the "buster" molt stage, a Maryland blue crab , Callinectes sapidus, sheds its shell. The genus and species mean tasty beautiful swimmer. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | Photo #4 of 8. Having reached the "buster" molt stage, a Maryland blue crab , Callinectes sapidus, sheds its shell. The genus and species mean tasty beautiful swimmer. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Photo #5 of 8. Having reached the "buster" molt stage, a Maryland blue crab , Callinectes sapidus, sheds its shell. The genus and species mean tasty beautiful swimmer. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | Birds! Birds! Birds! Prolific fishing grounds mean large populations of sea birds. Credit: Fisheries. |  | Because much of the cost of a cow is the feed and labor needed to maintain her, fewer but higher yielding cows mean lower priced milk. Dairy herd improvement ultimately benefits consumers. Photo by Keith Weller. Credit: USDA ARS News. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "No Vacancy?" by Greg Schmigel Commentary: "No vacancy? What do you mean, no vacancy? See more of my works at www.27cm.com." | "Bull nettles" by Loretta Humble Commentary: "These things pack a mean punch." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption |
 | Snicker; laughing; belittle; deride; jeer; mock; taunt; ridicule; mean; mocking. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Charles Caleb Colton | We ask advice but we mean approbation. |
Confucius | What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the mean man seeks is in others. |
James A. Garfield | I mean to make myself a man, and if I succeed in that, I shall succeed in everything else. |
John Milton | License they mean when they cry liberty. |
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus | By a tranquil mind I mean nothing else than a mind well ordered. |
Oscar Wilde | How clever you are, my dear! You never mean a single word you say. |
Samuel Johnson | Pride is seldom delicate; it will please itself with very mean advantages. |
Seneca | To keep oneself safe does not mean to bury oneself. |
William Shakespeare | That which in mean men we entitle patience is pale cold cowardice in noble breasts. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Magna Carta | 1215 | We will appoint as justices, constables, sheriffs, or bailiffs only such as know the law of the realm and mean to observe it well. (reference) |
John Locke | 1690 | But farther, this question, (Who shall be judge?) cannot mean, that there is no judge at all: for where there is no judicature on earth, to decide controversies amongst men, God in heaven is judge. (Second Treatise of Government) |
US Declaration of Independence | 1776 | He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. (reference) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | Or do you mean modern bourgeois private property? But does wage-labour create any property for the labourer? Not a bit. (reference) |
Roe v. Wade | 1973 | The State may define the term "physician" to mean only a physician currently licensed by the State, and may proscribe any abortion by a person who is not a physician as so defined. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | She did not mean to have her own affections entangled again, and it would be incumbent on her to avoid any encouragement of his. |
A Christmas Carol | Dickens, Charles | I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he likes it or not, for I pity him. |
So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish | Douglas Adams | Any observers in the place would have been mean hawklike observers, heavily armed, with painful throbbings in their heads which caused them to do crazy things when they observed things they didn't like |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | this must mean the relays of the post |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | It was a mean thing to do, to shoulder him into the square ditch, they were saying |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | You mean, to bear me, not to bear with me. |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | Behind him hobbled Granma, who had survived only because she was as mean as her husband |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | In the mean time I here conclude the second part of my unfortunate voyages |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | I perceive that we inhabitants of New England live this mean life that we do because our vision does not penetrate the surface of things |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | It may not mean that you have the disease. (references) | |
But this does not mean that you will lose your sight. (references) | ||
A fever may mean that the infection has reached the kidneys. (references) | ||
Business | That, however, does not mean that franchisees are without remedies. (references) | |
However, that does not mean the market has reached a saturation point. (references) | ||
For example, “cheap” in American parlance is often used to mean “inexpensive. (references) | ||
Children | Albania | They are eligible for various forms of public assistance, but budgetary constraints mean the amounts that they receive are very low. (references) |
Uzbekistan | In theory the State provides free universal primary education and health care; however, in practice shortages and budget difficulties mean that some services must be paid for privately. (references) | |
Bulgaria | Persons with Disabilities The law provides for a range of financial assistance for persons with disabilities, including free public transportation, reduced prices on modified automobiles, and free equipment such as wheelchairs; however, budgetary constraints mean that such assistance occasionally is not given. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Gambia | After the meeting, his office said that the comment was taken out of context, and that the President did not mean to change the Government's policy on Shari'a law. (references) |
Turkmenistan | The authorities have interpreted the law to mean that a congregation with 500 members throughout the country cannot register; that number must be in a single locale. (references) | |
Ethiopia | The Government has interpreted the constitutional provision for separation of religion and state to mean that religious instruction is not permitted in schools, whether they are public or private schools. (references) | |
Economic History | Guatemala | This does not mean that all Computers and Peripherals are made in the United States. (references) |
Ukraine | What constitutes conforming to code in the U.S. does not necessarily mean the same in Ukraine. (references) | |
Tunisia | KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCAL MARKET AND LOCAL CONTACTS CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE. (references) | |
Human Rights | Fiji | Arrested persons must be brought before a court without "undue delay." This requirement normally is taken to mean within 24 hours, with 48 hours as the exception. (references) |
Zambia | However, many defendants lack the resources to retain a lawyer, and the limited resources of the Government's legal aid department mean that many citizens entitled to legal aid find that it is unavailable. (references) | |
Russia | In many cases NGO's reported that investigators deny access to counsel by various means, including restrictions on the time when the suspect can see his lawyer (which may mean that the lawyer has to wait for days to get a meeting with the client). (references) | |
Political Economy | CHINA | The move toward national treatment will mean the gradual elimination of special tax breaks enjoyed by many foreign investors. (references) |
Cameroon | The country's population of approximately 15 million had a recorded mean per capita gross national product (GNP) of approximately $607 (455,250 CFA francs). (references) | |
Trade | Czech Rep | Both scenarios mean that some U.S. products can face higher rates as compared to European competitors. (references) |
Travel | Mexico | Yes does not always mean yes. (references) |
Ukraine | Ukrainian time is GMT+2 (Greenwich Mean Time) and EST+7 (Eastern Standard Time). (references) | |
Morocco | Time: Morocco is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The country does not observe Daylight Saving Time. (references) | |
Women | Zimbabwe | Systemic problems and lack of education often mean that police do not respond to women's reports or requests for assistance. (references) |
Worker Rights | South Africa | However, income disparities between skilled and unskilled workers and the income distribution gap between rural and urban workers mean that many unskilled or rural workers are unable to provide a decent standard of living for themselves and their families. (references) |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set. A leaf was riven from a tree, "I mean to fall to earth," said he. The west wind, rising, made him veer. "Eastward," said he, "I now shall steer." The east wind rose with greater force. Said he: "'Twere wise to change my course." With equal power they contend. He said: "My judgment I suspend." Down died the winds; the leaf, elate, Cried: "I've decided to fall straight." "First thoughts are best?" That's not the moral; Just choose your own and we'll not quarrel. Howe'er your choice may chance to fall, You'll have no hand in it at all. G.J. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Carol Burnett | Sure I have. I mean, I've done a lot of awful stuff on our own show. One time we had such a bad show that I apologized on the air to people watching it. |
Ed McMahon | Sure. He reads the letters. He read the letters. Sure. He's a company man. I mean, he really works at being Johnny Carson. |
John Hartmann | Never, ever. I mean, Phil was a middle child. They're usually more humble and more subdued. And his comedic talents didn't really emerge until high school. |
Mariah Carey | I'm not wacko. But my point is already made. I mean, we're all a little wacko sometimes, and if we think we're not, maybe we are more than we know. |
Mariane Pearl | Good days, bad days, of course. It is difficult. I mean, personally, of course, but also, I do have a lot of strength also. |
Prince Albert of Monaco | Yeah. I mean, obviously, you know. And it's incredible to see how she touched the lives of so many people around her. |
Regis Philbin | To go to South Bend was really an eye-opening experience for me. But it was wonderful. I mean, Notre Dame, right away, I felt that spirit. |
Rush Limbaugh | The government doesn't earn a dime of its own money, but if you dare say you can't afford to feed it, you're evil and mean and selfish. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well organized and armed militia is their best security. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | Good wages mean good markets. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | But we mean to maintain both stability and growth in a climate of freedom. |
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | That, and patience-and I mean a great deal of patience. |
Richard Nixon | 1969-1974 | In my opinion, for us to withdraw from that effort would mean a collapse not only of South Viet-Nam, but Southeast Asia. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | Federal assistance cannot mean permanent subsidies for unprofitable operations. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | Higher taxes would not mean lower deficits. |
George Bush | 1989-1993 | I mean a mass of people called the American taxpayer. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Every diploma ought to mean something. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | Stronger police and fire departments will mean safer neighborhoods. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Mean" is generally used as a lexical verb (base form) -- approximately 67.09% of the time. "Mean" is used about 43,312 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 67.09% | 29,058 | 293 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 26.24% | 11,366 | 816 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 6.54% | 2,831 | 3,268 |
| Noun (singular) | 0.12% | 52 | 47,145 |
| Total | 100.00% | 43,312 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "mean" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Mean | Last name | 300 | 25,319 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
Expressions using "mean": a mean ♦ arithmetic mean ♦ arithmetical mean ♦ assessed mean life ♦ assessed mean time between failures ♦ assessed mean time to failure ♦ assumed arithmetic mean ♦ assumed mean ♦ averaged mean monthly discharge ♦ be mean ♦ be no mean player ♦ brake mean effective pressure ♦ by no mean ♦ Error of the mean square ♦ extrapolated mean life ♦ extrapolated mean time between failures ♦ extrapolated mean time to failure ♦ Extreme and mean ratio ♦ extreme mean ♦ geometric mean ♦ geometrical mean ♦ gold mean ♦ golden mean ♦ Greenwich Mean Time ♦ guessed arithmetic mean ♦ happy mean ♦ harmonic mean ♦ Harmonical mean ♦ i can't think what you mean ♦ i mean no harm! ♦ i mean what i say ♦ in the mean time ♦ it is no mean achievement ♦ local mean time ♦ mean age ♦ mean annoyance level ♦ mean arithmetic efficiency ♦ Mean blood pressure ♦ mean body temperature ♦ mean business ♦ mean chord ♦ mean consumption expenditure by household and by adult equivalent according to the degree of urbanisation ♦ mean consumption expenditure by household and by adult equivalent according to the degree of urbanization ♦ mean corpuscular hemoglobin ♦ mean cycle between scheduled shop visits ♦ mean cycle between unscheduled replacement ♦ mean deviation ♦ mean deviation from the mean ♦ mean diameter ♦ mean distance ♦ mean energy expended in a gas per ion pair formed ♦ mean energy imparted ♦ Mean error ♦ mean fire interval ♦ mean for ♦ mean geometric chord ♦ mean ill ♦ mean income by household and by adult equivalent according to the degree of urbanisation ♦ mean income by household and by adult equivalent according to the degree of urbanization ♦ mean interruption duration ♦ mean lethal dose ♦ mean lethal time ♦ mean life ♦ Mean line ♦ mean mischief ♦ Mean noon ♦ mean number of adult equivalents according to certain basic characteristics ♦ mean opinion score ♦ mean planimetric efficiency ♦ mean point of burst ♦ mean point of impact ♦ mean power ♦ Mean proportional ♦ mean pulmonary capacity ♦ mean rate of hydraulic fluid flow ♦ mean s test ♦ mean sea level ♦ mean solar day ♦ mean solar time ♦ mean square deviation ♦ mean sun ♦ mean thing ♦ mean time ♦ mean time between failure ♦ mean time between failure observed ♦ mean Time Between Failures ♦ mean Time Between Faults ♦ mean time between unscheduled removals ♦ mean time between unscheduled replacement ♦ mean Time To Recovery ♦ mean time to restore ♦ mean to do ♦ mean trigonometric deviation ♦ mean value ♦ mean values ♦ mean variation ♦ mean velocity ♦ mean well ♦ mean what one says ♦ mean wind ♦ modified mean. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "mean": mean-eyed, mean-faced, mean-hearted, mean-like, mean-looking, mean-minded, mean-mouthed, mean-preserving, mean-reverting, mean-spirited, Mean-spiritedness, Mean-square error, mean-street, mean-tested, mean-time, mean-time, mean-variance. | |
Ending with "mean": global-mean, m-mean. | |
Containing "mean": macho-mean-streets, no-mean-city, root-mean-square. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
what dream mean | 681 | iq mean score | 43 |
greenwich mean time | 454 | acid does mean nucleic | 42 |
what does my name mean | 372 | green mean | 40 |
what name mean | 371 | mean ecard | 40 |
kawasaki mean streak | 206 | joke mean | 39 |
mean | 181 | comebacks mean | 36 |
mean median mode | 112 | does iq mean | 35 |
dream and what do they mean | 106 | baby name what they mean | 32 |
golden mean | 91 | grenwich mean time | 32 |
geometric mean | 71 | mean poem | 32 |
what does my dream mean | 70 | grenich mean time | 31 |
mean machine | 68 | insult mean | 31 |
mean quote | 68 | mean people | 30 |
mean streak | 68 | fiddler mean | 30 |
mean street | 57 | does mean rsvp | 28 |
mean name they | 55 | does iq mean score | 28 |
mean dog | 50 | b b mean sleeve | 28 |
acid mean nucleic | 48 | what does my last name mean | 27 |
root mean square | 48 | does mean | 26 |
colors mean | 45 | mean prank | 26 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "mean"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | gemiddeld (average, middle), beteken (imply, signify), bedoel (aim, intend), medium (average, middle). (various references) | |
Albanian | mjete (means, outfit, tackle, utensil), mjet (agent, apparatus, device, engine, expedient, implement, instrument, intermedium, means, medium, mode, modus, recipe, route, tool, touch, vehicle, wherewithal), mesatare (average, median, medium, par), mesatar (average, measurable, mediocre, medium, mesial, mid, middling, moderate, neutral, normal, par), mes (bosom, bull's eye, dia-, heart, medium, middle, midriff, midst, thick, waist, waistline), mendoj (believe, conceive, consider, contemplate, deem, deliberate, dream up, elaborate, expect, fancy, feel, figure, guess, hold, imagine, judge, opine, ponder, rate, reason, reckon for, reflect, regard, repute, say, study, suppose, take, think, Trow, try, understand, ween), mënyrë (cut, device, fashion, form, manner, means, method, modality, mode, path, rate, sort, touch, way, wise), koprrac (avaricious, cheese paring, churl, clam, close-fisted, curmudgeon, curmudgeonly, grasping, griping, mingy, miser, money grubber, money-grubbing, muckworm, narrow, near, rapacious, saving, screwy, scrimp, sharpener, skin, skinflint, stingy, tight-fisted, tightwad, turn-penny), dorështrënguar (avaricious, careful, close-fisted, grasping, large handed, mingy, miserly, muckworm, parsimonious, penny-pinching, penurious, rapacious, saving, scrimp, skinflint, snippy, tight, tight-fisted), dua të, i dobët (anaemic, anemic, bad, cachectic, characterless, cheesy, delicate, Dickey, dicky, dim, Dotty, enervate, faint, fainting, feeble, flabby, flaccid, gone, ill-conditioned, impaired, indolent, inferior, infirm, insubstantial, knock kneed, lame, lamentable, languid, languorous, lax, lean, low, meager, meagre, measly, milk and water, nerveless, pale, pimping, pithless, poky, poor, puny, queasy, reckling, remiss, remote, rotten, rundown, scraggy, scrannel, scrawny, scrofulous, seared, shoddy, skinny, slack, sleazy, slender, slight, slim, soft, spare, squeam |