Meaning
To intend.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
From Middle English menen (“to intend; remember; lament; comfort”), from Old English mǣnan (“to mean, complain”), Proto-West Germanic *mainijan, from Proto-Germanic *mainijaną (“to mean, think; complain”), from Proto-Indo-European *meyn- (“to think”), or perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *meyno-, extended form of Proto-Indo-European *mey-. Germanic cognates include West Frisian miene (“to deem, think”) (Old Frisian mēna (“to signify”)), Dutch menen (“to believe, think, mean”) (Middle Dutch menen (“to think, intend”)), German meinen (“to think, mean, believe”), Old Saxon mēnian. Indo-European cognates include Old Irish mían (“wish, desire”) and Polish mienić (“to signify, believe”). Non-Indo-European cognates include Finnish mainita (“to mention”), Finnish meinata (“to mean, to plan, to intend”) Estonian mainima (“to mention”), Northern Sami máinnastit (“to tell”). Related to moan.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 17 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-08-11NAELMTY
- 2026-04-15AETNMPV
- 2026-03-28NABEMKT
- 2026-02-14MABEGIN
- 2026-02-06EAMGCIN
- 2025-12-05ENAMCBI
- 2025-10-26MAEINTY
- 2025-08-30AENIGMZ
- 2025-08-01NAKECHM
- 2025-05-10MAOHENP
- 2025-03-09MANGELT
- 2025-02-09MALFEIN
+5 earlier appearances in the archive.