Etymograph

English

meaning

Meaning comes from Middle English mening.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mening1
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1610meaning1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English meaning
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1610, ?, Walter Raleigh: “It was their meaning to take what they needed…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500meningWiktionary, English meaning
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1610meaningWiktionary, English meaning. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1610, ?, Walter Raleigh: “It was their meaning to take what they needed…”

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Today it means

noun The denotation, referent, or idea connected with a word, expression, or symbol.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “meaning”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English mening / meaning