mete

See also: Mete, meté, mete-, and mɛtɛ

English

WOTD – 15 September 2006

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /miːt/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːt
  • Homophones: meat, meet

Etymology 1

From Middle English meten, from Old English metan (“to measure, mete out, mark off, compare, estimate; pass over, traverse”), from Proto-Germanic *metaną (“to measure”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure, consider”). Cognate with Scots mete (“to measure”), Saterland Frisian meete (“to measure”), West Frisian mjitte (“to measure”), Dutch meten (“to measure”), German messen (“to measure”), Swedish mäta (“to measure”), Latin modus (“limit, measure, target”), Ancient Greek μεδίμνος (medímnos, “measure, bushel”), Ancient Greek μέδεσθαι (médesthai, “care for”), Old Armenian միտ (mit, “mind”).

Verb

mete (third-person singular simple present metes, present participle meting, simple past and past participle meted)

  1. (transitive, archaic, poetic, dialectal) To measure.
    • 1611 — King James Version of the Bible, Matthew 7:2
      For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
    • 1870s Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Soothsay, lines 80-83
      the Power that fashions man
      Measured not out thy little span
      For thee to take the meting-rod
      In turn,
  2. (transitive, usually with “out”) To dispense, measure (out), allot (especially punishment, reward etc.).
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English, from Old French mete (“boundary, boundary marker”), from Latin mēta (“post, goal, marker”), from Proto-Indo-European *meit- (“stake, post”). Cognate with Old English wullmod ("distaff").

Noun

mete (plural metes)

  1. A boundary or other limit; a boundary-marker; mere.

Anagrams

Czech

Verb

mete

  1. Third-person singular present indicative form of mést

Dutch

Verb

mete

  1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of meten

Anagrams

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French mettre (“put, put on”)

Verb

mete

  1. put
  2. put on

Italian

Noun

mete f

  1. plural of meta

Anagrams

Latin

Verb

mete

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of metō

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English mete (“food”). More at meat.

Noun

mete

  1. food; meat.
  2. The act of dining.

Derived terms

  • meteles

Etymology 2

From Old French mete (“boundary, mere”). More at mete.

Noun

mete

  1. boundary, target, point, position.

Etymology 3

From Old English ġemǣte (“suitable, meet”). More at meet.

Adjective

mēte

  1. suitable, fitting, appropriate.
  2. pleasing, accommodating, useful.
  3. right in shape or size, well-fitting.

Descendants

Adverb

mēte

  1. appropriately
  2. copiously

References

  • The Middle English Dictionary (M.E.D.)
  • Riverside Chaucer

Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *matiz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmete/

Noun

mete m

  1. food

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

Old Frisian

Noun

mete

  1. food, especially sustenance (as opposed to desserts, snacks, or sweets)

Portuguese

Verb

mete

  1. Third-person singular (ele, ela, also used with tu and você?) present indicative of meter
  2. Second-person singular (tu) affirmative imperative of meter

Spanish

Verb

mete

  1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of meter.
  2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of meter.
  3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present indicative form of meter.
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