pl. n.
-
[treated as sing. or pl.]
an action or system by which a result is achieved.
- financial resources; income.
▸substantial resources; wealth.
Phrase
- by all means
of course. - by any means
[with neg.]
at all. - by means of
by using. - by no means
(or by no manner of means)
certainly not.
- a means to an end
a thing that is not valued in itself but is useful in achieving an aim.
Etymology
ME: pl. of mean3, the early sense being ‘intermediary’.
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