Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Means |
MeansNoun1. How a result is obtained or an end is achieved; "a means of control"; "an example is the best agency of instruction"; "the true way to success". 2. Instrumentality used to achieve an end. 3. Considerable capital (wealth or income); "he is a man of means". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "means" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
MEANS | Dutch | Methoden voor de evaluatie van structuurmaatregelen | European Union |
MEANS | English | Methods for Evaluating Activities of a Structural Nature | European Union, Economics |
MEANS | French | Méthodes d'évaluation des actions de nature structurelle | European Union |
MEANS | Italian | Metodi di valutazione delle azioni di carattere strutturale | European Union |
MEANS | Portuguese | Métodos de avaliação das acções de natureza estrutural | European Union |
MEANS | Spanish | Métodos de evaluación de las acciones de naturaleza Estructural | European Union |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: MeansSynonyms: agency (n), substance (n), way (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Aid | Sustentation, subvention, alimentation, nutrition, nourishment; eutrophy; manna in the wilderness; food; means. |
Instrumentality | Instrument; expedient; (plan); means. |
Materials | Materials; supplies, munition, fuel, grist, household stuff pabulum; (food); ammunition; (arms); contingents; relay, reinforcement, reenforcement; baggage; (personal property); means; calico, cambric, cashmere. |
Property | Assets, belongings, means, resources, circumstances; wealth; money; what one is worth, what one will cut up for; estate and effects. |
Wealth | Provision, livelihood, maintenance; alimony, dowry; means, resources, substance; property; command of money. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Means |
| English words defined with "means": By any manner of means, By any means, by artificial means, By no manner of means, By no means ♦ Means of grace ♦ Ways and means. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "means": Cannot by no means ♦ extraction by means of selective solvents ♦ forcible and violent means ♦ period means, period means averages ♦ sampling distribution of differences between means, Some means or another, standard error of differences between means. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "means": Well-willer. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Means" is also a word in the following language with the English translation in parentheses. Portuguese (MEANS). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | He doesn't know what Capra-esque means. (The American President; writing credit: Aaron Sorkin.) Do you know what that means, Daddy (The Sweet Hereafter; writing credit: Atom Egoyan) Michael was the most sexually experienced of us, which means he had kissed a girl on more than two occasions (Sleepers; writing credit: Barry Levinson) Talking pictures, that means I'm out of a job. At last I can start suffering and write that symphony (Singin' in the Rain; writing credit: Betty Comden; Adolph Green) Yes, sir. As requested, it's full of bugs, which means people will be forced to upgrade for years (Tomorrow Never Dies; writing credit: Bruce Feirstein) | |
Lyrics | Speak to me, don't mislead me, the calm I feel means a storm is swelling; (Trouble Me; performing artist: 10,000 Maniacs) For whatever that means (What's up; performing artist: 4 Non Blondes) Don't ask me what it means (The Look Of Love; performing artist: ABC) But the morning means goodbye (All That She Wants; performing artist: Ace Of Base) And he means everything to her (Flavor of the Weak; performing artist: American Hi-Fi) | |
Clever | The word "samba" means "to rub navels together. (references; author: unknown) A long dispute means that both parties are wrong. (references; author: unknown) Automatic" simply means that you can't repair it yourself. (references; author: unknown) If you are never scared, embarrassed, or hurt, it means you never take chances. (references; author: unknown) You're trailer trash when you think loading a dishwasher means getting your wife drunk. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Aloha Means Goodbye (1974) Ways and Means (1970) What Farm Price Support Means to You (1962) Mean Moe Means Well (1962) | |
Song Titles | La La Means I Love You (performing artist: The Delfonics) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Shown is a laboratory setting and a piece of equipment that allows scientists to obtain interferon by conventional means. Presently this means growing human cells. Only the piece of equipment is visible. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |  | Shown are surgeons and a nurse performing a Thoracoscopy by which they are examining the pleural cavity by means of an Endoscope to later perform a biopsy. Credit: John Crawford (photographer). |
 | The cratered face of Semispochnoi, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Semispochnoi just west of Longitude 180 In Russian Semispochnoi means "The Island of Seven Volcanoes". Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | The boat - means of transportation in Glen Canyon, Colorado River Level party of Fred E. Joeckel. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Penguin toboganning as a means of locomotion. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Pay phones on the docks were the primary means of saying goodbye or hello to family and friends with vessels coming and going. Credit: Fisheries. |
 | Project Vortex-99. An occluded mesocyclone tornado rated an F3 by an NWS damage survey. Occluded means old circulation on a storm; this tornado was forming while the new circulation was beginning to form the tornadoes which preceeded the F5 Oklahoma City tornado. Photo #1 of sequence. Credit: National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). |  | Title page of Edwards Forbes' paper concerning a dredging expedition in the Aegean Sea. Forbes set forth the concept that no life existed below 300 fathoms inspiring numerous pioneeer oceanographers to devise means to prove him wrong. In: The Annual Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science for the year 1843. NOAA Central Library Journal collection. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
 | Figure 41. Thomson pneumatic sounder, devised by Sir William Thomson, was an extremely simple device designed for use with his sounding machine on a steel line. Although based on the action of pressure on gas or liquids, it also used the original concept of using a chemical means to note the depth attained. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |  | Figure 20. A model devised to demonstrate the quantity of common salt in the sea. The idea is that if all the salt in the sea were to evaporate it would cover an area and volume equal to the above sea-level area and volume of Africa. Dr. Walter Stahlberg conceived this idea as a means to communicate to the public amount of salt in the sea. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Pipe for waste water" by Kim Heisler Commentary: "Slop pipe. Schmutzwasser means waste water." | "No PICTURES 3" by Debbie L Manville Commentary: "No means no or number." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Confucius | To love a thing means wanting it to live. |
Hermann Busenbaum | When the end is lawful, the means are also lawful. |
Hesiod | Acquisition means life to miserable mortals. |
John Milton | And out of good still to find means of evil. |
Lord Byron | A lady of a ''certain age,'' which means certainly aged. |
Oscar Wilde | I am dying beyond my means. |
| Alas, I am dying beyond my means. | |
Samuel Taylor Coleridge | Greatness and goodness are not means, but ends. |
William Shakespeare | There's place and means for every man alive. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | If God has taken away all means of seeking remedy, there is nothing left but patience. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Marbury v. Madison | 1803 | The constitution is either a superior, paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means, or it is on a level with ordinary legislative acts, and, like other acts, is alterable when the legislature shall please to alter it. (reference) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | In bourgeois society, living labour is but a means to increase accumulated labour. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | The German Army may only be constituted and recruited by means of voluntary enlistment. (reference) |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | This means a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
United Nations | 1948 | Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | The danger, however, was at present so unperceived, that they did not by any means rank as misfortunes with her. |
A Christmas Carol | Dickens, Charles | Scrooge was not much in the habit of cracking jokes, nor did he feel, in his heart, by any means waggish then |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | But let us look at the means. |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | It means certainly a stasis and not a kinesis |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | If without peril it be possible, Sweet Blunt, make some good means to speak with him And give him from me this most needful note |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | Everybody is, but not the way she means. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | By means of this loadstone, the island is made to rise and fall, and move from one place to another |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | This did not appear the worst, nor by any means a despicable alternative |
The Tempest | William Shakespeare | Antonio: True; save means to live |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Acute often means urgent. (references) | |
But it is by no means a new disease. (references) | ||
Angina means that there is underlying coronary heart disease. (references) | ||
Business | By all means, Germany is not a stagnant market. (references) | |
It means a 22% rate for energy without exemption. (references) | ||
They are the key means of direct pollution control. (references) | ||
Children | Czech Republic | However, many buildings and means of public transportation remained inaccessible to those in wheelchairs, although access is improving. (references) |
Kyrgyz Republic | The lack of social workers or a well-established social work tradition means that cases involving abandoned or orphaned children are viewed typically as law enforcement matters. (references) | |
Haiti | Even in public schools there are nominal mandatory fees associated with sending a child to school (uniform, books, etc.), and these costs are beyond the means of many rural families. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Liberia | As a result, radio is the primary means of mass communication. (references) |
Colombia | They use both violent and nonviolent means toward political ends. (references) | |
Saudi Arabia | It prohibits public demonstrations as a means of political expression. (references) | |
Economic History | Afghanistan | The name "Talib" itself means pupil. (references) |
Austria | This means 390 physicians per 100,000 inhabitants. (references) | |
Japan | A presence in Japan usually means a presence in Tokyo. (references) | |
Human Rights | Guinea-Bissau | Beatings were used as a means of coercion. (references) |
Zambia | Indigent detainees and defendants rarely have the means to post bail. (references) | |
Laos | Police sometimes use arrest as a means of intimidation or to extract bribes. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Venezuela | The Warao claim that flooding and petroleum exploration have eroded their traditional means of survival: fishing and horticulture. (references) |
Honduras | The courts commonly deny legal recourse to indigenous groups and often show bias in favor of nonindigenous parties of means and influence. (references) | |
Bangladesh | Tribal people in other areas also have reported problems of loss of land to Bengali Muslims through questionable legal practices and other means. (references) | |
Minorities | Laos | The Law on Nationality provides a means for the Vietnamese and Chinese minorities to normalize their citizenship; a small number did so during the year. (references) |
Russia | Many citizens believe that at least nominal adherence to the Russian Orthodox Church is at the heart of what it means to be Russian, and Russian Orthodoxy is considered in conservative nationalist circles as the de facto official religion of the country. (references) | |
Albania | Minority leaders cite the Government's unwillingness to recognize the existence of ethnic Greek towns, such as Himara, that are not considered part of communist-era "minority zones"; to utilize Greek on official documents and on public signs in ethnic Greek areas; to address effectively crimes committed against ethnic Greeks, particularly allegations that communal property is being taken illegally by means of fraudulent documents and in some cases with complicity of the courts; to ascertain the size of the ethnic Greek population; and to include a higher number of ethnic Greeks in public administration. (references) | |
Political Economy | Mexico | The states have few means of raising their own revenues. (references) |
NETHERLANDS | Civil servants have other means of protection and redress. (references) | |
Uae | The UAE seeks to resolve this dispute through peaceful means. (references) | |
Political Rights | Rwanda | Citizens do not have the right to change their government by democratic means. (references) |
Singapore | The PAP has used the threat to withdraw benefits as a means of assuring popular support. (references) | |
Mexico | All political parties are attempting to increase the number of women who run for elected office through formal and informal means. (references) | |
Trade | Denmark | As a practical matter this means Norwegian and in some instances Swedish. (references) |
Egypt | Under-invoicing is prevalent in Egypt as a means of tax-avoidance by local businesses. (references) | |
Qatar | A letter of credit (L/C) is the most common means of facilitating Qatar's import/export operations. (references) | |
Travel | Zambia | Road transportation is the preferred means of transport for many goods. (references) |
Chad | Bicycles and motorbikes are a common means of transportation in N'Djamena. (references) | |
Hong Kong | Most people who are familiar with Hong Kong know that Hong Kong means business. (references) | |
Women | Philippines | Annulment is an option for those seeking a legal means for ending a marriage. (references) |
Guinea-Bissau | Domestic violence, including wife beating, is an accepted means of settling domestic disputes. (references) | |
Egypt | In rare cases, this means that children who are born to Egyptian mothers and stateless fathers are themselves stateless. (references) | |
Worker Rights | India | It continued to meet throughout the year to devise means of improving enforcement of legal prohibitions. (references) |
Poland | Victims are trafficked through such means as fake employment offers, arranged marriages, fraud, and coercive measures. (references) | |
India | Deception, misrepresentation, exploitation, force, coercion, and abuse of authority are often used as a means for trafficking. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | MUMMY, n. An ancient Egyptian, formerly in universal use among modern civilized nations as medicine, and now engaged in supplying art with an excellent pigment. He is handy, too, in museums in gratifying the vulgar curiosity that serves to distinguish man from the lower animals. By means of the Mummy, mankind, it is said, Attests to the gods its respect for the dead. We plunder his tomb, be he sinner or saint, Distil him for physic and grind him for paint, Exhibit for money his poor, shrunken frame, And with levity flock to the scene of the shame. O, tell me, ye gods, for the use of my rhyme: For respecting the dead what's the limit of time? Scopas Brune |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Bob Graham | I believe there was evidence that Iran was involved in the shipment of those weapons, but I don't think that was by any means the totality of the concern. |
Don Hewitt | I'd like to do more of the same better. I'd like to add Bob Simon as a regular. I'd like to add Christiane Amanpour as a regular, which means take her away from here. |
Gerald Ford | My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquility, but to use every means that I have to ensure it. |
Gotham Chopra | Not really. I mean I guess in some ways I am, but actually Gotham, Gotama Buddha. It's the original name of the Buddha, and it means the enlightened one, so I have a lot to live up to. |
Mark Geragos | Supervised probation means you have a probation officer. The probation officer will tell you to do this or do that or will supervise, in this case, community service. |
Rush Limbaugh | The Senate rejected oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, which means hope for energy independence is down the tubes. |
Senator Paul Sarbanes | Well, first of all, I think that is the general perception. I don't think it makes it impossible for the president to be a reformer, but it means he's got to be very active and very much out in front in the reform efforts. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | To be prepared for war is on e of the most effectual means of preserving peace. |
Abraham Lincoln | 1861-1865 | Doing this I deem to be only a simple duty on my part, and I shall perform it so far as practicable unless my rightful masters, the American people, shall withhold the requisite means or in some authoritative manner direct the contrary. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | Good business means more jobs and better wages. |
Dwight Eisenhower | 1953-1961 | Patriotism means equipped forces and a prepared citizenry. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | But it also means improved air and missile defenses, improved civil defense, a strengthened anti-guerrilla capacity and, of prime importance, more powerful and flexible non-nuclear forces. |
Richard Nixon | 1969-1974 | Here in America we are fortunate that most of our people have not only the blessings of liberty but also the means to live full and good, and by the world's standards even abundant lives. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | Putting America back to work means putting all Americans back to work. |
George Bush | 1989-1993 | That means jobs building roads, jobs building bridges and jobs building railways. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Each generation of Americans must define what it means to be an American. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Means" is generally used as a lexical verb (-s form) -- approximately 58.10% of the time. "Means" is used about 23,428 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 (-s form) | 58.1% | 13,613 | 668 |
| Noun (common) | 41.88% | 9,813 | 963 |
| Total | 100.00% | 23,428 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "means" 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 |
| Means | Last name | 7,000 | 1,923 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
1. Means, KY |
Expressions using "means": a man of means ♦ a man of slender means ♦ a means ♦ acceptable means of compliance ♦ affidavit of means ♦ alternative means of communication ♦ Amphiuma means ♦ argue by means of facts ♦ as the means of ♦ by all available means ♦ by all manner of means ♦ by all means ♦ By any manner of means ♦ by any means ♦ by artificial means ♦ by circuitous means ♦ by crooked means ♦ by devious means ♦ by fair means of foul ♦ by fair means or foul ♦ by indirect means ♦ by lawful means ♦ by legal means ♦ by means of ♦ by means of smth. ♦ by no manner of means ♦ by no means ♦ by that means ♦ by this means ♦ combat means ♦ control by means of a split coupling between the motor and the fan.The speed of the fan is varied by altering the slip between the two coupling halves either magnetically or hydraulically ♦ devise means ♦ end justifies the means ♦ extraction by means of selective solvents ♦ financial means ♦ find the means ♦ fire means ♦ forcible and violent means ♦ Formal description of arbitrary systems by means of functional languages ♦ get smth. by devious means ♦ get smth. devious means ♦ he is a man of means ♦ improvised means ♦ indirect means ♦ intelligent process control by means of expert systems ♦ it means ♦ joining means ♦ lack of means ♦ live beyond one's means ♦ man of independent means ♦ man of means ♦ man of private means ♦ means and appliances ♦ means grass ♦ means of action ♦ means of coercion ♦ means of communication ♦ means of control ♦ means of conveyance ♦ means of delivery ♦ means of expressing ♦ means of expression ♦ Means of grace ♦ means of life ♦ means of livelihood ♦ means of payment ♦ means of production ♦ means of protection ♦ means of restraint ♦ means of support ♦ means of transport ♦ means of transportation ♦ means test ♦ measuring means ♦ mechanical means of obtaining soundness ♦ of modest means ♦ period means ♦ period means averages ♦ person of means ♦ possess means ♦ primary means of communications ♦ private means ♦ resort to means of precaution ♦ running means ♦ sampling distribution of differences between means ♦ signal means ♦ silence means consent ♦ standard error of differences between means ♦ sufficiency of means ♦ that means ♦ the end justifies the means ♦ the end jutifies the means ♦ unlawful means ♦ way and means ♦ ways and means ♦ Ways and Means Committee ♦ without means. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "means": means-end, means-ends, means-related, means-test, means-tested, means-testing, means-tests, means-this. | |
Ending with "means": attained-by-whatever-means, ends-and-means, non-means, root-means. | |
Containing "means": non-means-tested. | |
| 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. |
| Language | Translations for "means"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | per (a, by, by means of, in, inside, into, on, per, through, with, within), met (by, by means of, on, through, with), deur (by, by means of, door, from, gate, of, on, since, through, with). (various references) | |
Albanian | mjete (mean, outfit, tackle, utensil), mjet (agent, apparatus, device, engine, expedient, implement, instrument, intermedium, mean, medium, mode, modus, recipe, route, tool, touch, vehicle, wherewithal), mënyrë (cut, device, fashion, form, manner, mean, method, modality, mode, path, rate, sort, touch, way, wise). (various references) | |
Arabic | وسيلة (measure, medium), موارد مالية (exchequer, fund, funding, funds), مضايقات, وسائل (wherewithal), الوسائل, إنحرافات. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | състояние (capital, case, condition, fettle, fig, fortune, pile, plight, position, posture, repair, shape, state, substance, train, way), средство (agency, contrivance, device, help, instrumentality, instrumentation, medium, pry, recourse, remedy, resort, resource, shift, tool, weapon), средства (medium, moneys, plant, pocket, purse, resources), способ (contrivance, device, expedient, key, knack, mode, modus, procedure, resource, way), начин (expedient, fashion, how, instrumentality, manner, method, mode, modus, resource, scheme, sort, style, way, wise), богатство (abundance, affluence, fortune, mammon, moneybags, opulence, pelf, pregnancy, purse, riches, richness, shekels, substance). (various references) | |
Chinese | 辦法 (method, way), 繇 (cause, folk-song, forced labor, interpretations of the trigrams), 方法 (method, way), 意味 (Meant), 工具 (instrument, tool, utensil). (various references) | |
Czech | majetek (belongings, estate, holding, possession, property, wealth), zpùsob (channel, fashion, form, manner, mode, mood, strain, style, vein, way), prostředek (instrument, instrumentality, medium, remedy, subservience), finanèní prostředky. (various references) | |
Danish | MEANS, verktøj (agent, tool), værktøj (tool), redskab (agent, tool). (various references) | |
Dutch | werktuig (agent, instrument, tool), middel (agent, remedy, resources, thallium, tool, waist, waistline). (various references) | |
Esperanto | rimedoj, rimedo (remedy, resources), iloj, ilo (tool). (various references) | |
Estonian | teel (by means of). (various references) | |
Faeroese | miðal (remedy, resources), amboð (agent, remedy, resources, tool). (various references) | |
Finnish | keino (expedient, remedy, resources, way). (various references) | |
French | moyen (medial, median, medium), ressource, moyens, instrument. (various references) | |
German | Mittel (agent, aid, application, average, device, funds, mean, medicament, medium, method, mezzo, middle, remedy, resource, resources, tool, vehicle, way), Hilfsmittel (aid, auxiliary means, expedient, resource), bedeutet (connotes, matters, signifies), bedeuten (betoken, bode, connote, denote, gesture, imply, indicate, intimate, involve, mean, motion, motion to do, signify, stand for, symbolize). (various references) | |
Greek | μέσο (agency, agent, channel, expedient, instrumentality, mean, middle, midst, resource, way). (various references) | |
Hawaiian | me anë të (by, by means of, on, through, with). (various references) | |
Hebrew | אמצעים (financial means, wherewithal), אמצעי (aid, expedient, facility, implement, indirectly, mean, measure, median, medium, mid, middle, organ, resort, resource, resources, step, steppingstone, tool), אמצעות (agency, intermediacy, mediacy, meditation, medium, middle). (various references) | |
Hungarian | eszközök (materials). (various references) | |
Indonesian | upaya (efforts, expedient), kekayaan (affluence, assets, wealth), ikhtiar (effort, free will, initiative, judgement), alat (appliance, device, instrument, organ, stuff, tool, utensil, utility). (various references) | |
Irish | gléas (prepare). (various references) | |
Italian | strumento (agent, appliance, implement, instrument, mean, medium, tool, utensil). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 方途 (way), 仕方 (course, method, resource, way), 仕方 (method, resource, way), 具 (ingredients, tool), 便 (chance, convenience, evacuation, excreta, facility, flight, letter, mail, opportunity, post, service, stools, way), 手段 (measure, way), 手段 (measure, way), 手立て (method), 方便 (expedient, instrument), 仕形 (course, method, resource, way), 方術 (art, magic, method), 資産 (assets, fortune, property), 匠 (artisan, carpenter, idea, mechanic, workman), 力 (ability, agency, attainment, authority, capability, efficacy, emphasis, endeavors, energy, exertions, faculty, force, good offices, help, influence, might, power, resources, strength, stress, support, vigor), 術 (art, way), 術 (way), 道具 (implement, tool), 道具 (implement, tool), 遣り方 (method, way), 資力 (resources, wealth), 方法 (manner, method, technique, way). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ほうべん (expedient, instrument), ちから (ability, agency, attainment, authority, capability, efficacy, emphasis, endeavors, energy, exertions, faculty, force, good offices, help, influence, might, power, resources, strength, stress, support, vigor), てだて (method), じゅつ (art), よすが (way), やりかた (manner of doing, method, way), ほうと (way), ぐ (foolish, ingredients, silly, stupid, tool), ほうほう (confusedly, manner, method, perplexity, technique, way), たくみ (artisan, carpenter, cleverness, idea, mechanic, skill, workman), どうぐ (implement, tool), しょう (actor, artisan, award, bruise, buy, call, carpenter, catch, chapter, commander, cut, destroy, drink, eat, gash, general, government, hurt, idea, illness, important point, injury, label, leader, make up for, mechanic, medal, phenomenon, prize, put on, quotient, ride in, scar, scratch, section, send for, take, to be burdened with, to carry on back or shoulder, upper part, weak point, wear, workman, wound), しゅだん (measure, way), しりょく (desperate effort, eyesight, resources, wealth), しかた (course, method, resource, way), しさん (assets, fortune, property, scattering, trial calculation), すべ (way), ほうじゅつ (art, artillery, gunnery, magic, method). (various references) | |
Korean | 의미한다. (various references) | |
Malay | perkakas (agent, tool), alat (agent, instrument, tool). (various references) | |
Manx | saaseyn y ghraysh (means of grace), drogh haase (evil means). (various references) | |
Norwegian | middel (agent, remedy, resources, tool). (various references) | |
Papiamen | pa medio di (by, by means of, on, through, with), ku (by, by means of, on, than, that, through, which, who, with). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | eansmay.(various references) | |
Polish | przyrząd (agent, tool), narzędzie (agent, tool), instrument (agent, tool). (various references) | |
Portuguese | ferramenta (agent, appliance, implement, iron, tool), expediente (business hours, device, dodge, dodgery, expedient, health-resort, knack, makeshift, remedy, resort, resourcefulness, resources, shift). (various references) | |
Romanian | mijlocire (agency, intercession, mediation), mijloc (center, centre, depth, handle, instrumentality, mean, medium, method, middle, midst, resource, thick, vehicle, waist, way), mijloace (resource, resources, sinew, wealth), metodã (method, policy, practice, process, school, system, way), resurse (faculty, resources, sinew), posibilitãţi (ability, scope), intermediu (agency, instrumentality, intermedium, mediation), cale (Avenue, channel, course, distance, drive, path, road, route, step, stitch, Street, track, way), bani (cash, chink, dough, dust, Jack, kale, lucre, money, purse, rhino, the furniture of one's pocket), avere (all, assets, belongings, effect, estate, fortune, gold, goods, having, opulence, patrimony, possession, property, substance, wealth), ajutor (abettor, accommodation, accomplice, adjoint, adjunct, adjutancy, adjutant, adjuvant, adminicle, aid, ancillary, assistance, assistant, auxiliary, backer, backing, collaboration, contribution, co-operation, deputy, easement, fire, friend, furtherance, help, helper, helpfulness, helping, mate, ministrant, office, redress, refuge, relief, remedy, rescue, salvation, saver, second, service, sos, staff, stand by, stead, succor, succour, support, supporter, sustainer, upholder), agent (agency, agent, assignee, broker, clerk, courier, factor, go between, medium, minister). (various references) | |
Russian | средство (aborticide, abortifacient, agent, anorectic, cure, engine, instrument, mean, medium, option, parturifacient, remedy), способ (how, in the manner, manner, medium, method, mode, modi, modus, process, sort, technique, way). (various references) | |
Scottish | trid (by means of), tre (by means of, through), le (by, by means of, in possession of, on, together with, with). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | sredstva (resources), način (fashion, method, mode, modus, mood, style, way). (various references) | |
Spanish | medio (agent, average, extent, habitat, half, halfback, lift, line, mean, medial, medium, mesial, mid, middle, midst, milieu, recipe, remedy, resources, tack, the middle, tool, way), instrumento (agent, appliance, cat's paw, flute, implement, indenture, instrument, tool, wood), herramienta (agent, horns, implement, tool). (various references) | |
Sranan | wrokosani (agent, tool). (various references) | |
Swedish | utväg (expedient, way out), medel (agent, expedient, funds, instrumentation, money, stepping stone, stepping-stone, wherewithal). (various references) | |
Tagalog | sa pamamagitan (by, by means of, on, through, with). (various references) | |
Thai | เงินทอง, วิธี. (various references) | |
Turkish | araç (agent, appliance, facility, implement, instrument, medium, organ, tool, vehicle, vehicular). (various references) | |
Turkmen | tдr (manner, method), seriюde (remedy), eklenз. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | спосіб (fashion, manner, medium, method, mood, remedy, sort, way), засіб (agency, channel, instrumentality, recipe, route, way), багатство (affluence, bag, capital, fortune, mammon, moneybag, oof, opulence, pocket, profusion, purse, riches, richness, the dollars, thrift, wad, weal, wealth). (various references) | |
Welsh | moddion (medicine), modd (manner, mode, mood), cyfrwng (agency, medium). (various references) | |
Yucatec | nu'kul (agent, tool). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | copia, facultas, facultatem, facultates, facultatibus, instrumenta, materia, materiem, opes, per. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Romans Chapter 9, Verse 14 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Ti oun eroumen mh adikia para tw qew mh genoito |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Quid ergo dicemus numquid iniquitas apud Deum absit |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | La hwæt sculon we secgan? Is god unriht? Nælles! |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | What therfor schulen we seie? Whether wickidnesse be anentis God? |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | What shall we saye then? is there eny vnrightewesses with God? God forbyd. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? By no means. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | What may we say then? is God not upright? let it not be said. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Romans Chapter 9, Verse 14 |
| Cebuano | ¶ Nan, unsa may atong ikasulti? Nga wala ang hustisya diha sa Dios? Palayo kana! |
| Croatian | Što æemo dakle reæi? Možda da u Boga ima nepravde? Nipošto! |
| Danish | Hvad skulle vi da sige? mon der er Uretfærdighed hos Gud? Det være langt fra! |
| Dutch | Wat zullen wij dan zeggen? Is er onrechtvaardigheid bij God? Dat zij verre. |
| Finnish | Mitä siis sanomme? Ei kaiketi Jumalassa ole vääryyttä? Pois se! |
| French | Que dirons-nous donc? Y a-t-il en Dieu de l`injustice? Loin de là! |
| German | Was wollen wir denn hier sagen? Ist denn Gott ungerecht? Das sei ferne! |
| Haitian Creole | ¶ Bon, kisa sa vle di? Bondye gen lè ap fè lenjistis? Men non. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Apakah kesimpulan kita sekarang? Bahwa Allah itu tidak adilkah? Sudah barang tentu Allah adil! |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Apakah yang hendak kita katakan? Lalimkah Allah itu? Mustahil. |
| Italian | Che diremo dunque? C'è forse ingiustizia da parte di Dio? No certamente! |
| Korean | 그 런 즉 우 리 가 무 슨 말 하 리 요 하 나 님 께 불 의 가 있 느 뇨 그 럴 수 없 느 니 라 |
| Maori | ¶ Ka pehea ai i kona ta tatou korero? He tikanga he koia kei te Atua? Kahore rapea. |
| Norwegian | Hvad skal vi da si? er der vel urettferdighet hos Gud? Langt derifra! |
| Portuguese | Que diremos, pois? Há injustiça da parte de Deus? De modo nenhum. |
| Rumanian | Deci ce vom zice? Nu cumva este nedreptate kn Dumnezeu? Nici de cum! |
| Shuar | ¶ Túriniaitkiui "Yus pénkerchaiti" ¿titiajiash? Atsá. |
| Spanish | ¿Qué, pues, diremos? ¿Acaso hay injusticia en Dios? ¡De ninguna manera! |
| Swahili | Basi, tuseme nini? Je, Mungu amekosa haki? Hata kidogo! |
| Swedish | Vad skola vi då säga? Kan väl orättfärdighet finnas hos Gud? Bort det! |
| Uma | ¶ Aga neo' ta'uli' hewa toi: "Ane Alata'ala mpopelihi to hadua pai' mpoka'oja' to hadua, uma-i monoa'!" Uma-e' makono lolita toe! |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "means": meanspirited. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "means": bemeans, demeans. (additional references) | |
| |
"Means" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: emans, emens, emins, Emtns, imeand, kegans, maenas, maenus, Maenz, manz, marans, mayans, mcans, meaan, meand, meane, meanes, meaness, Meani, meanst, meanys, Meanz, Mearne, meas, mecanno, meena, meens, Meganisi, Meijs, meines, meins, menac, menae, menai, menar, menas, menase, menes, mengs, mensa, mensh, Mensi, menso, menz, mesna, Meung, mians, Milans, mions, Msans, myans, Niehans. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "means" (pronounced mē"nz) |
| 4 | m ē" n z | demeans, nitrosamines. |
| 3 | -ē" n z | convenes, beans, canteens, careens, cleans, cuisines, deans, Denes, eighteens, fifteens, figurines, fourteens, gasolines, genes, greens, intervenes, jeans, latrines, leans, liens, machines, marines, peens, preteens, Queens, ravines, reconvenes, sardines, scenes, screens, sixteens, skeens, smithereens, sunscreens, teens, vaccines. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: amens, manes, manse, mensa, names, nemas. | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-m-n-s" | |
-1 letter: amen, anes, maes, mane, mans, mean, mesa, name, nema, same, sane, seam. | |
-2 letters: ane, ems, ens, mae, man, mas, men, nae, nam, sae, sea, sen. | |
-3 letters: ae, am, an, as, em, en, es, ma, me, na, ne. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-m-n-s" | |
+1 letter: amends, aments, amines, animes, ashmen, desman, enemas, gasmen, inseam, lemans, manges, manses, mantes, mavens, menads, mensae, mensal, mensas, mesian, messan, namers, ramens, remans, seaman, seamen, semina, stamen, unseam, yamens. | |
+2 letters: acumens, almners, almsmen, ambones, ammines, amnesia, amnesic, amnesty, anadems, anemias, anomies, anthems, baseman, basemen, batsmen, bedamns, bemeans, bemoans, benames, bynames, cinemas, daemons, damners, dampens, daysmen, demands, demeans, deskman, desmans, embanks, enamels, enamors, encamps, engrams, enigmas, etamins, examens, famines, flamens, gamines, germans, haemins, hetmans, inmates, inseams, jasmine, kamseen, kinemas, laments, lensman, maddens, madness, maenads, magnets, maidens, malines, manages, manches, maneges, mangels, mangers, mangles, mangoes, manless, manners, mannose, mantels, mantles, manures, manwise, marines, martens, masoned, meaners, meanest, meanies, medians, medinas, medusan, menaces, menages, menials, messans, messman, misname, moaners, monades, newsman, oarsmen, pneumas, remains, remands, renames, sagamen, samisen, sandmen, sarment, seaming, seedman, seminal, seminar, sideman, smarten, sokeman, stamens, sunbeam, surname, swagmen, tameins, tandems, unmakes, unseams. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Familiar 10. Quotations: Historic 11. Quotations: Fiction 12. Quotations: Non-fiction | 13. Quotations: Spoken 14. Quotations: Speeches 15. Usage Frequency 16. Names: Frequency | 17. Cities 18. Expressions 19. Expressions: Internet 20. Translations: Modern | 21. Translations: Ancient 22. Bible Trace 23. Abbreviations 24. Acronyms | 25. Derivations 26. Rhymes 27. Anagrams 28. Bibliography |
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