mean sb. (used in sing. and pl. with the sense ‘instrument, agency, method, &c. employed for doing something’ the pl. sometimes taking sing. concord; the meaning ‘pecuniary resources,’ e.g. Meas. II. ii. 24, is not pre-S.)
1.
middle
position, medium
Mer.V. I. ii. 48
“seated in the ,”
Ant. II. vii. 22
“the height, the
lowness, or the ”
; moderation
1H6 I. ii. 121
“since he keeps no ”
2.
tenor or alto
(intermediate between treble and bass) Gent. I. ii. 93, LLL. V. ii. 329, Wint. IV. ii. [iii]. 46
3.
something interposed
or intervening
3H6 III. ii. 141
“the m-s that keep me
from it,”
Ant. III. ii. 32.
4.
“make m-s,” take steps,
use efforts Gent. V. iv. 137,
R3 V. iii. 40
“make some good m-s to
speak with him,”
250,
Cym. II. iv. 3
“What m-s do you make to
him?.”
5.
opportunity of doing
something, of access to a person, &c.
Err. I. ii. 18
“having so good a ,”
R3 IV. ii. 75
“open means to come to
them,”
Ham. IV. vi. 14
“give these fellows some
means to the king.”
6.
(one's)
instrumentality, influence, instigation
2H6 III. ii. 124
“murder'd By Suffolk and
the Cardinal Beaufort's m-s,”
R3 I. iii. 78
“Our brother is
imprison'd by your means.”
