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mean
for the GUTENBERG BIBLE. It was called this because the first copy of it was found in the library of Cardinal Mazarin in Paris in 1760.
maze /meiz/ n a system of twisting and turning paths leading to a central point. The paths are usually separated from each other by high HEDGES, walls etc, and are sometimes blocked off, so as to confuse someone who walks through them: She was lost in the maze for several hours. | (fig.) a maze of narrow winding streets
Maze 'Prison, the also the Maze a prison in Northern Ireland where many prisoners, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, were kept for TERRORIST crimes. The H-BLOCKS were part of the Maze prison. It became well-known in the 1980s because many prisoners went on HUNGER STRIKE. The prison was closed in 2000.
Ma·zo·la /mə'zəulə/ trademark a type of oil used for cooking, sold in the UK and especially in the US
MB /em 'bi:/ n abbrev. for Bachelor of Medicine; a university first degree in medicine. MB is written after someone's name to show that they have this degree: Jane Davies, MB
MBA /em bi: 'ei/ n abbrev. for Master of Business Administration; a university higher degree in which students learn the skills needed to be in charge of a business. MBA is written after someone's name to show that they have this degree: Casani had an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Mba·ba·ne /əmba:'ba:ni||embe'ba:n/ a town and business centre which is the capital of Swaziland
MBE /em bi: 'i:/ n abbrev. for Member of the Order of the British Empire; a special honour given to some British people for things they have done for their country. MBE is written after someone's name to show that they have been given this honour. → see also CBE, OBE
Mbe·ki, Tha·bo /əm'beki, 'tə:bəu/ (1942-) a South African politician who became president in 1999. Before the end of APARTHEID, he was a leading member of the ANC and an active opponent of the white government's policies.
MBSc /em bi: es 'si:/ abbrev. for Master of Business Science; a university higher degree in a science subject, which you get after studying for a year or two longer after your first degree. MBSc is written after someone's name to show that they have this degree: Noel Murphy, MBSc
Mc to find a name which begins with Mc, look under Mac
MC /em 'si:/ n 1 abbrev. for MASTER OF CEREMONIES → see also EMCEE 2 abbrev. for MILITARY CROSS; a MEDAL given to British army officers for bravery 3 AmE written abbrev. for MEMBER OF CONGRESS: John T. Katz, MC
MCAT /'em kæt/ n abbrev. for Medical College Admissions Test, an examination which must be taken by anyone who wants to attend MEDICAL SCHOOL in the US
MCC, the /em si: 'si:/ abbrev. for the Marylebone Cricket Club; a famous CRICKET club that was established in 1787 and is based at LORD'S cricket ground in North London. Although it is a private club, the MCC was until the 1960s in charge of the organization of cricket all over the world, and it is still responsible for the rules of the game. It was only in 1998 that women were allowed to be members.
MCP /em si: 'pi:/ n old-fash infml male chauvinist pig; an insulting name for a man who believes that men are better than women and who has fixed traditional ideas about the way men and women should behave → see also MALE CHAUVINIST
MD /em 'di:/ abbrev. for 1 DOCTOR OF MEDICINE 2 MANAGING DIRECTOR: Have you met the new MD yet? | John Snow, MD
MDF /em di: 'ef/ n [U] a type of heavy wooden board that can be used for making cheap furniture, cupboards etc. Its full name is medium density fibreboard, and it is made by gluing wood FIBRES together under heat and pressure.
MDS /em di: 'es/ n abbrev. for Master of Dental Surgery; a British university higher degree in DENTISTRY. MDS is written after someone's name to show that they have this degree. → compare BDS, DDS
MDT /em di: 'ti:/ abbrev. for MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME
me /mi; strong mi:/ pron (object form of I): He bought me a drink. | He bought a drink for me. | Show me your photos. | Show them to me again. | That's me on the left of the photograph. → see also ME GENERATION
USAGE Me, her, him, us and them are usually used in conversation after as, than and be: I'm not as clever as her. I'm fatter than him. | It's me. You can also express the idea in a different way: I'm not as clever as she is. I'm fatter than he is. | I am the one/the person/etc. In the past, people sometimes used I, she, he, we and they in formal writing, but this sounds very old-fashioned now: as clever as she | fatter than he | it is I.
ME1 /em 'i:/ n [U] BrE abbrev. for myalgic encephalomyelitis; an illness that makes you feel very tired and weak and can last for a very long time, sometimes for several years. In the UK it is also called POST-VIRAL SYNDROME and in the US it is called CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME.
ME2 written abbrev. for 1 MAINE 2 MIDDLE ENGLISH
me·a cul·pa /meIə 'kulpə/ n interj Lat a formal statement made in a Roman Catholic religious service by a person admitting that they have sinned (SIN): (fig.) 'Who forgot to file today's correspondence?' 'Ah, mea culpa, old chap!'
mead /mi:d/ n 1 [U] an alcoholic drink made from HONEY, drunk especially formerly in England 2 [C] poet a meadow
Mead, Lake the largest RESERVOIR (=a lake where water is stored before it is supplied to people's houses) in the US, on the Colorado River behind the HOOVER DAM
Mead, Margaret (1901-78) a US ANTHROPOLOGIST, who studied the ways in which parents on the islands of Samoa, Bali, and New Guinea taught their children. She also tried to discover whether males and females are born with the differences in behaviour that they show, or whether they learn to behave differently as they grow up in their particular societies. Her best-known book is Coming of Age in Samoa.
mead·ow /'medəu/ n [C;U] a field or fields of wild grass and flowers on which cattle, sheep etc can feed → see also WATER MEADOW
mea·gre BrE || -ger AmE /'mi:gər/ adj not enough in quantity, quality, strength etc: his meagre income | a meagre diet —ly adv —ness n [U]
meal1 /mi:l/ n 1 an amount of food eaten at one time, usually consisting of two or more dishes: She usually makes/cooks a hot meal in the evenings. | Breakfast is my favourite meal. 2 also meal-time /'mi:ltaIm/ — the time of eating a meal: The family only meets at meals. 3 make a meal of derog to give (something) more effort, consideration, or time than it deserves → see also SQUARE MEAL
meal2 n [U] grain which has been crushed into a powder, especially for flour → see also BONE MEAL; CORNMEAL, OATMEAL
meals on 'wheels n [P] a service which provides hot meals to old or sick people in their homes, delivered by car by the SOCIAL SERVICES or the WRVS in Britain, and often by VOLUNTEERS in the US
'meal ticket n infml a person or organization that can be depended upon to provide help and support without asking for anything in return (from the ticket given to workers in certain companies or the army that allows them to have a free meal)
meal·y /'mi:li/ adj 1 like or containing MEAL 2 pale and powdery; FLOURY: mealy potatoes
mealy-'mouthed adj derog (of people or speech) expressing things indirectly, not plainly, especially when something unpleasant must be said: mealy-mouthed politicians/statements
mean1 /mi:n/ adj 1 [(with)] BrE unwilling to give or share what one has; ungenerous: He's very mean with his money. 2 [(to)] unkind; nasty: It was mean of you not to let the children play in the snow. | Don't be so mean to her! | He's got a mean streak in him. (=sometimes behaves unpleasantly) 3 especially AmE bad-tempered; liking to hurt: That's a mean dog. Be careful it doesn't bite you. 4 [A] # or old use of low social position: a man of mean birth 5 especially lit (especially of a place) poor or poor-looking: mean streets 6 slang especially AmE very good: She makes a mean chicken stew. 7 no mean (something) a very good (something): He's no mean cook. | Running ten miles is no mean achievement. —ly adv —ness n [U]
mean2 v meant /ment/ [T not in progressive forms] 1 to represent or express (a meaning): What does this French word mean? |