meaning

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:

meaning

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /ˈmiːnɪŋ/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -iːnɪŋ

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English mening, menyng, equivalent to mean +‎ -ing. Cognate with Scots mening (“intent, purpose, sense, meaning”), West Frisian miening (“opinion, mind”), Dutch mening (“view, opinion, judgement”), German Meinung (“opinion, view, mind, idea”), Danish and Swedish mening (“meaning, sense, sentence, opinion”), Icelandic meining (“meaning”).

Noun[edit]

meaning (countable and uncountable, plural meanings)

(of words, expressions or symbols)
1. The denotation, referent, or idea connected with a word, expression, or symbol.
  - 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
    Elbows almost touching they leaned at ease, idly reading the almost obliterated lines engraved there. ¶ "I never understood it," she observed, lightly scornful. "What occult meaning has a sun-dial for the spooney? I'm sure I don't want to read riddles in a strange gentleman's optics."
2. The connotation associated with a word, expression, or symbol.
The purpose, value, or significance (of something) beyond the fact of that thing's existence.
the meaning of life

The number of persons attending the vigil had a lot of meaning to the families.
(of a person's actions) Intention.
- c. 1610?, Walter Raleigh, A Discourse of War:
  
  It was their meaning to take what they needed by strong hand.
- 1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:
  […] there was nothing in the house, what there was, was broken, the last people must have lived like pigs, what could the meaning of the landlord be?

Synonyms[edit]

(denotation of words etc.): acceptation, definition, parsing, sense
(connotation of words etc.): flavor, implication, import, insinuation, tone
(purpose, significance):
(of a person's actions): goal, aim, plan, intent

Hyponyms[edit]

The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.

proposition

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from meaning (noun)

Translations[edit]

symbolic value of something

Albanian: kuptim (sq) m, domethënie (sq) f
Arabic: مَعْنًى‎ (ar) m (maʕnan), الْمَعْنَى‎ (ar) m (al-maʕnā) (definite)
Gulf Arabic: معنى‎ m (maʕna)
Armenian: իմաստ (hy) (imast)
Azerbaijani: məna (az)
Bashkir: мәғәнә (mäğänä)
Belarusian: значэ́нне n (značénnje)
Bengali: অর্থ (bn) (ortho)
Bulgarian: значе́ние (bg) n (značénie)
Burmese: အဓိပ္ပါယ် (a.dhippay)
Catalan: significat (ca) m, significació f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 意義／意义 (zh) (yìyì), 含義／含义 (zh) (hányì), 意思 (zh) (yìsi), 意味 (zh) (yìwèi)
Crimean Tatar: mana
Czech: význam (cs) m
Danish: betydning (da) c, mening c
Dutch: waarde (nl) f, betekenis (nl) m
Esperanto: signifo
Estonian: tähendus (et)
Finnish: merkitys (fi)
French: signification (fr) f, sens (fr) m
Galician: significado (gl) m
Georgian: მნიშვნელობა (mnišvneloba)
German: Bedeutung (de) f
Greek: σημασία (el) f (simasía)
Gujarati: અર્થ (arth)
Hausa: ma'ana (ha)
Hawaiian: manaʻo
Hebrew: מַשְׁמָעוּת‎ (he) f (mashma'út)
Hindi: मतलब (hi) m (matlab), अर्थ (hi) m (arth), मअनी f (maanī)
Hungarian: jelentés (hu)
Icelandic: merking f
Italian: significato (it) m
Japanese: 意義 (ja) (いぎ, igi), 意味 (ja) (いみ, imi)
Kazakh: мағына (kk) (mağyna)
Khmer: សំនួន (km) (sɑmnuən)
Korean: 뜻 (ko) (tteut), 의미(意味) (ko) (uimi), 의의(意義) (ko) (uiui)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: wate (ku), mane (ku)
Kyrgyz: маани (ky) (maani)
Lao: ຄວາມຫມາຽ (khuām māi)
Latvian: jēga f, nozīme f
Limburgish: beteikenis (li) f
Lithuanian: prasmė (lt) f
Macedonian: значење n (značenje)
Malay: makna (ms), arti (ms), maksud (ms)
Malayalam: അർത്ഥം (ml) (aṟtthaṃ), സാരം (ml) (sāraṃ)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: утга (mn) (utga)

Mongolian: ᠤᠳᠬ
ᠠ (udk a)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: mening (no) m or f, betydning (no) m or f
Old English: andgiet n
Pashto: معنى‎ f (ma'nã), معنا‎ f (ma'nã)
Persian: معنی‎ (fa) (ma'ni), مطلب‎ (fa) (matlab) (Dari)
Polish: znaczenie (pl) n
Portuguese: significado (pt) m
Romanian: semnificație (ro) f, sens (ro) n
Russian: значе́ние (ru) n (značénije)
Sanskrit: अर्थ (sa) (artha)
Scots: meanin
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: зна́че̄ње n

Roman: znáčēnje (sh) n
Slovak: význam m
Slovene: pomen (sl) m
Spanish: sentido (es) m, significado (es) m
Swahili: maana (sw)
Swedish: mening (sv) c, betydelse (sv) c
Tajik: маънӣ (tg) (maʾnī), маъно (tg) (maʾno)
Tatar: мәгънә (tt) (mäğnä)
Thai: ความหมาย (th) (kwaam-mǎai)
Tocharian B: ārth
Turkish: anlam (tr), mana (tr), kasıt (tr)
Turkmen: many
Ukrainian: зна́чення (uk) n (znáčennja)
Urdu: معنی‎ (ur) f (ma'nī), ارتھ‎ m (arth), مطلب‎ m (matlab)
Uyghur: مەنە‎ (ug) (mene)
Uzbek: maʼno (uz)
Vietnamese: nghĩa (vi) (義), ý nghĩa (vi) (意義 (vi)), ý vị (vi) (意味 (vi))
Welsh: ystyr (cy) m or f
West Frisian: betsjutting (fy) c
Yiddish: טײַטש‎ m or f (taytsh)

significance of a thing, as "the meaning of life"

Arabic: مَعْنًى‎ m (maʕnan)
Gulf Arabic: معنى‎ m (maʕna)
Armenian: իմաստ (hy) (imast)
Bashkir: мәғәнә (mäğänä)
Belarusian: змысл m (zmysl), сэнс (be) m (sens), толк m (tolk)
Bulgarian: сми́съл (bg) m (smísǎl)
Catalan: sentit (ca) m, significat (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 意義／意义 (zh) (yìyì), 含義／含义 (zh) (hányì), 意思 (zh) (yìsi), 意味 (zh) (yìwèi), 目的 (zh) (mùdì)
Czech: smysl (cs) m
Danish: mening c
Dutch: zin (nl) m
Esperanto: senco (eo)
Finnish: tarkoitus (fi)
French: signification (fr) f
German: Sinn (de) m
Greek: νόημα (el) n (nóima)
Hungarian: értelem (hu)
Italian: significato (it) m
Japanese: 意義 (ja) (いぎ, igi), 意味 (ja) (いみ, imi), 目的 (ja) (もくてき, mokuteki)
Korean: 의미(意味) (ko) (uimi), 의의(意義) (ko) (uiui), 목적(目的) (ko) (mokjeok)
Latvian: jēga f
Macedonian: смисла f (smisla), смисол m (smisol)
Malayalam: അർത്ഥം (ml) (aṟtthaṃ), സാരം (ml) (sāraṃ)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: утга (mn) (utga)

Mongolian: ᠤᠳᠬ
ᠠ (udk a)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: mening (no) m or f
Persian: معنی‎ (fa) (ma'ni)
Polish: sens (pl) m
Portuguese: significado (pt) m, sentido (pt) m
Russian: смысл (ru) m (smysl), значе́ние (ru) n (značénije), толк (ru) m (tolk)
Scots: meanin
Scottish Gaelic: seagh m, brìgh f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: сми̑сао m

Roman: smȋsao (sh) m
Slovak: zmysel m
Slovene: smisel (sl) m
Spanish: sentido (es) m
Swahili: maana (sw)
Swedish: mening (sv) c
Thai: ความหมาย (th) (kwaam-mǎai)
Turkish: anlam (tr)
Ukrainian: сенс (uk) m (sens), зна́чення (uk) n (znáčennja), смисл m (smysl)
Welsh: ystyr (cy) m or f
Vietnamese: nghĩa (vi) (義), ý nghĩa (vi) (意義 (vi)), ý vị (vi) (意味 (vi))

definition or connotation of a word

Arabic: مَعْنًى‎ (ar) m (maʕnan)
Gulf Arabic: معنى‎ m (maʕna)
Armenian: իմաստ (hy) (imast)
Bashkir: мәғәнә (mäğänä)
Belarusian: значэ́нне n (značénnje), сэнс (be) m (sens), змысл m (zmysl)
Bulgarian: значе́ние (bg) n (značénie)
Bole: mana
Breton: ster (br) m
Catalan: significat (ca) m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 意思 (ji³ si¹)

Mandarin: 意思 (zh) (yìsi), 意味 (zh) (yìwèi)
Czech: význam (cs) m, smysl (cs) m
Danish: betydning (da) c
Dutch: betekenis (nl) m
Finnish: merkitys (fi)
French: sens (fr) m
German: Bedeutung (de) f
Greek: σημασία (el) f (simasía), έννοια (el) f (énnoia)
Gujarati: અર્થ (arth)
Hausa: ma'ana (ha)
Hindi: मतलब (hi) m (matlab)
Hungarian: jelentés (hu)
Icelandic: meining f, merking
Italian: significato (it) m
Japanese: 意味 (ja) (いみ, imi)
Kapampangan: kabaldugan
Korean: 뜻 (ko) (tteut), 의미(意味) (ko) (uimi)
Latvian: nozīme f
Lithuanian: reikšmė (lt) f
Macedonian: значење n (značenje), смисла f (smisla), смисол m (smisol)
Malayalam: അർത്ഥം (ml) (aṟtthaṃ)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: утга (mn) (utga)

Mongolian: ᠤᠳᠬ
ᠠ (udk a)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: betydning (no) m or f, tyding m or f
Old English: ġetācnung f, andġiet n
Persian: معنی‎ (fa) (ma'ni), مطلب‎ (fa) (matlab) (Dari)
Polish: znaczenie (pl) n, sens (pl) m
Portuguese: significado (pt) m
Russian: значе́ние (ru) n (značénije), толкова́ние (ru) n (tolkovánije), смысл (ru) m (smysl)
Scots: meanin
Scottish Gaelic: ciallachadh m, seagh m, brìgh f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: зна́че̄ње n

Roman: znáčēnje (sh) n
Slovak: význam m, zmysel m
Slovene: pomen (sl) m, smisel (sl) m
Spanish: significado (es) m, sentido de la palabra m
Swahili: maana (sw)
Swedish: betydelse (sv) c
Thai: ความหมาย (th) (kwaam-mǎai), คำแปล (th) (kam-bplɛɛ)
Ukrainian: зна́чення (uk) n (znáčennja), сенс (uk) m (sens), смисл m (smysl)
Urdu: مطلب‎ m (matlab)
Welsh: ystyr (cy) m or f
Yiddish: טײַטש‎ m or f (taytsh)
Vietnamese: nghĩa (vi) (義), ý nghĩa (vi) (意義 (vi))

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Friulian: ^{(please verify)} significât m
Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} meining f
Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} arti (id)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} significato (it) m
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} مەعنا‎ (ckb) (me'na), ^{(please verify)} مەبەس‎ (mebes)
Romanian: ^{(please verify)} înțeles (ro) n, ^{(please verify)} sens (ro) n, ^{(please verify)} semnificație (ro) f
Spanish: ^{(please verify)} significado (es) m
Telugu: ^{(please verify)} అర్థం (te) (arthaṁ)

Etymology 2[edit]

From mean +‎ -ing.

Verb[edit]