5<jO M -E A 
MEAN, adj. [mcene, Sax.] Wanting dignity ; of low 
rank or birth.—She was ftricken with molt obltinate love 
to a young mao but of mean parentage, in her father’s court, 
named Antiplvilns ; fo mean, as that he was but the fon of 
her nurfe; and by that means, without other defert, be¬ 
came known ot her. Sidney. 
True hope is fwift, and flies w ith fwallow-wings ; 
Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings. Shakefp. 
Low minded ; bafe; ungenerous; fpiritlefs.—We fait, not 
to pleafe men, nor to promote any mean worldly interelt. 
Smalridge's Sermons . 
The fhepherd knows not thunder from a tabor 
More than I know the found of Marcius’ tongue 
From every meaner man. Shakejpeare's Coriolanus, 
Contemptible; defpicable: 
The Roman legions and great Csefar found 
Our fathers no mean. foes. Philips. 
Low iri the degree of any good quality ; low in worth ; 
low in power.—I have lacrificed much of my own felf- 
love, in preventing not only many mean things from fee¬ 
ing the light, but many which I thought tolerable. Pope. 
To peaceful Rome new law s ordain ; 
Call’d from his mean abode a fceptre to fuftain. Dryden, 
[Moyen, Fr.] Middle; moderate; without excefs.—One 
of the propereft and belt-graced men that ever I faw, being 
of middle age and a mean ftature. Sidney. —Intervening ; 
intermediate.—In the mean while the heaven was black 
with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain, i Kings 
xviii. 45.—The middle between two extremes ; as, mean 
diftance, mean proportion. 
MEAN,/! [moyen. Ft.] Mediocrity; middle rate ; me¬ 
dium.—There is a mean in all things, and a certain mea- 
fure wherein the good and the beautiful confilt, and out 
of which they never can depart. Dryden. 
He, tempering goodly well 
Their contrary dillikes with loved means , 
Did place them all in order, and compell 
To keep themfelves within their fundry reigns, 
Together link’d with adamantine chains. Spcnfer. 
Meafure ; regulation. Not ufed: 
The rolling fea refounding foft, 
In his big bafe them fitly anfwered, 
And on the rock the waves breaking aloft, 
A folemn mean unto them meafured. Fairy Queen* 
Interval; Interim ; mean time : 
But fith this wretched woman overcome, 
Of anguifh rather than of crime hath been, 
Referve her caule to lrer eternal doom. 
And in the mean vouchfafe her honourable tomb. Spcnfer. 
Inftrument; meafure ; that which is ufed in order to any 
end.—Pamela’s noble heart would needs gratefully make 
known the valiant mean of her fafety. Sidney. —As long as 
that which Chriftians did was good, and no way fubjeft to 
jutt reproof, their virtuous converlation was a mean to work 
the heathens converfion unto Chrift. Hooker. —It is no ex- 
cufe unto him who, being drunk, committefh incelt, and 
allegeth that his wits were not his own ; inafmuch as him- 
fclf might have chofen whether his wits fliould by that 
mean have been taken from him. Hooker. 
Nature is made better by no mean, 
But nature makes that mean ; fo over that art 
Which, you fay, adds to nature, is an art 
That nature makes. Shakejpeare's Winter's Tale. 
It is often ufed in the plural, and by fome not very gram¬ 
matically, with an aiijetftive lingular: the fingularis in this 
fenle now rarely ufed.—Becaufe he wanted means to per¬ 
form any great a£tion, he made means to return the fooner. 
Davies on Ireland. —By this means not only many helplefs 
perfons will he provided for, but a generation will be bred 
up not perverted by any other hopes, Spratt's Sermons.— 
M E A 
A good character, when eftablilhed, (hould not be refted 
in as an end, but only employed as a means of doing frill 
farther good. Atierlury. 
The more bafe art thou, 
To make fuch means for her as thou haft done, 
And leave her on fuch flight conditions. Shakefpeart* 
Strong was their plot, 
Their parties great, means good, the feafon fit, 
Their prailice clofe, their faith fufpedted not. Daniel. 
By all Means. Without doubt ; without hefitation ; 
without fail. 
By no Means. Not in any degree ; not at all.—The 
wine on this fide of the lake is by no means fo good as that 
on the other. Addifon on Italy. 
Means are likewife ufed for revenue ; fortune ; proba¬ 
bly from defmenes. —Effex did not build or adorn any houfe ; 
the queen perchance fpending his time, and himfelf his 
means. Wotton. 
For competence of life I will allow you, 
That lack of means enforce you not to evil ; 
And, as we hear you do reform yourlelves, 
Give you advancement. Skakefpeare’s Henry IV. 
To MEAN, v. n. [meenen , Dut.] To have in the mind j 
to purpofe : 
Thefe delights if thou can’ll give. 
Mirth, with thee I mean to live. Milton. 
To think ; to have the power of thought: 
And he who now to fenfe, now nonfenfe, leaning, 
Means not, but blunders round about a meaning. Pope. 
To MEAN, v. a. To purpofe ; to intend ; to defign.— 
Ye thought evil againlt me; but God meant it unto good, 
to fave much people alive. Gen. 1 . 20. 
I practis'd it to make you tafte your cheer 
With double pleafure, firft prepar’d by fear ; 
So loyal fubjefts often feize their prince. 
Yet mean his perfon not the leaft offence. Dryden. 
To intend ; to hint covertly ; to underftand.—When your 
children lhall fay, What mean you by this fervice ? yelhall 
fay, It is the palfover. Exod. xii. 26. 
ME'AN-BORN, adj. Of low birth. 
Let pale-fac’d fear keep with the mean-born man, 
And find no harbour in a royal heart. Shahefpeare. 
ME'AN TALE POI'NT, a cape on the coaft of Corn¬ 
wall : five miles north-weft from the Lizard Point. 
ME'AN-TIME, or Mean-while, adv. In the inter¬ 
vening time.—The Roman legions were all recalled to 
help their country againft the Goths ; mean-time the Britons, 
left to Ihift for themfelves, and harralfed by inroads from 
the Pifts, were forced to call in the Saxons for their defence. 
Swift. 
Mean-time the rapid heav’ns roll’d down the light, 
And on the fnaded ocean rulh’d the night. Dryden. 
Mean while I’ll draw up my Numidian troops, 
And, as I fee occafion, favour thee. Addifon's Cato. 
MEA'NA,/! A vehicle much ufed in the Eaft Indies, 
fimilar to a palankeen. It carries one perfon, and is born® 
by four men, by means of a bamboo extended from the 
ends : it is generally feven feet long and three wide, with 
Venetian blinds, which Hide and aft as doors. Sometimes 
perfons will travel great diftances in them ; in which cafe 
tlte number of bearers is increafed, and they by turns re¬ 
lieve each other : they will go at the rate of four miles in 
the hour, 
MEA'NA, a town of Hindooftan, in Kitchwara: ten 
miles north-eaft of Budawar. 
MEA'NA, a town of the ifland of Sardinia: twenty- 
one miles fouth-fouth-weft of Lode. 
MEAN'DEll, f. [from the river Mzeander, which fee, 
p. Si.] Maze; labyrinth; flexuous paffage; ferpentine 
winding j winding courfe.—Phyficians, by the help of 
anatomical 
