The difference between Mean and Spell

When used as nouns, mean means a method or course of action used to achieve some result, whereas spell means words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.

When used as verbs, mean means to intend, to plan (to do), whereas spell means to put under the influence of a spell.

Mean is also adjective with the meaning: common.

check bellow for the other definitions of Mean and Spell

  1. Mean as a verb (transitive):

    To intend. To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention. To have intentions of a given kind. To intend (something) for a given purpose or fate; to predestine.

    Examples:

    "I didn't mean to knock your tooth out."

    "I mean to go to Baddeck this summer."

    "I meant to take the car in for a smog check, but it slipped my mind."

    "Don't be angry; she meant well."

    "Actually this desk was meant for the subeditor."

    "Man was not meant to question such things."

  2. Mean as a verb (transitive):

    To convey meaning. To convey (a given sense); to signify, or indicate (an object or idea). Of a word, symbol etc: to have reference to, to signify. Of a person (or animal etc): to intend to express, to imply, to hint at, to allude.

    Examples:

    "The sky is red this morning—does that mean we're in for a storm?"

    "What does this hieroglyph mean?"

    "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."

    "He is a little different, [[if you know what I mean if you know what I mean]]."

  3. Mean as a verb (transitive):

    To have conviction in (something said or expressed); to be sincere in (what one says).

    Examples:

    "Does she really mean what she said to him last night?"

    "Say what you mean and mean what you say."

  4. Mean as a verb (transitive):

    To result in; to bring about.

    Examples:

    "One faltering step means certain death."

  5. Mean as a verb (transitive):

    To be important (to).

    Examples:

    "My home life means a lot to me."

  1. Mean as a verb (Ireland, UK, _, regional):

    To lament.

  1. Mean as an adjective (obsolete):

    Common; general.

  2. Mean as an adjective:

    Of a common or low origin, grade, or quality; common; humble.

    Examples:

    "a man of mean parentage / a mean abode"

  3. Mean as an adjective:

    Low in quality or degree; inferior; poor; shabby.

    Examples:

    "a mean appearance / mean dress"

  4. Mean as an adjective:

    Without dignity of mind; destitute of honour; low-minded; spiritless; base.

    Examples:

    "a mean motive"

  5. Mean as an adjective:

    Of little value or account; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable.

  6. Mean as an adjective (chiefly, UK):

    Ungenerous; stingy; tight-fisted.

    Examples:

    "He's so mean. I've never seen him spend so much as five pounds on presents for his children."

  7. Mean as an adjective:

    Disobliging; pettily offensive or unaccommodating; small.

  8. Mean as an adjective:

    Selfish; acting without consideration of others; unkind.

    Examples:

    "It was mean to steal the girl's piggy bank, but he just ''had'' to get uptown and he had no cash of his own."

  9. Mean as an adjective:

    Causing or intending to cause intentional harm; bearing ill will towards another; cruel; malicious.

    Examples:

    "Watch out for her, she's mean. I said good morning to her, and she punched me in the nose."

  10. Mean as an adjective:

    Powerful; fierce; harsh; damaging.

    Examples:

    "It must have been a mean typhoon that levelled this town."

  11. Mean as an adjective:

    Accomplished with great skill; deft; hard to compete with.

    Examples:

    "Your mother can roll a mean cigarette."

    "He hits a mean backhand."

  12. Mean as an adjective (informal, often, childish):

    Difficult, tricky.

    Examples:

    "This problem is mean!"

  1. Mean as an adjective:

    Having the mean (see noun below) as its value.

  2. Mean as an adjective (obsolete):

    Middling; intermediate; moderately good, tolerable.

  1. Mean as a noun (now, chiefly, in the plural):

    A method or course of action used to achieve some result.

  2. Mean as a noun (obsolete, in the singular):

    An intermediate step or intermediate steps.

  3. Mean as a noun:

    Something which is intermediate or in the middle; an intermediate value or range of values; a medium.

  4. Mean as a noun (music, now, historical):

    The middle part of three-part polyphonic music; now specifically, the alto part in polyphonic music; an alto instrument.

  5. Mean as a noun (statistics):

    The average of a set of values, calculated by summing them together and dividing by the number of terms; the arithmetic mean.

  6. Mean as a noun (mathematics):

    Any function of multiple variables that satisfies certain properties and yields a number representative of its arguments; or, the number so yielded; a measure of central tendency.

  7. Mean as a noun (mathematics):

    Either of the two numbers in the middle of a conventionally presented proportion, as 2 and 3 in 1:2=3:6.

  1. Spell as a noun:

    Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.

    Examples:

    "He cast a spell to cure warts."

  2. Spell as a noun:

    A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula.

    Examples:

    "under a spell"

  3. Spell as a noun (obsolete):

    Speech, discourse.

  1. Spell as a verb:

    To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

  2. Spell as a verb (obsolete):

    To speak, to declaim.

  3. Spell as a verb (obsolete):

    To tell; to relate; to teach.

  1. Spell as a verb (transitive, obsolete):

    To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.

  2. Spell as a verb (transitive, sometimes with “out”):

    To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word.

  3. Spell as a verb (intransitive):

    To be able to write or say the letters that form words.

    Examples:

    "I find it difficult to spell because I'm dyslexic."

  4. Spell as a verb (transitive):

    Of letters: to compose (a word).

    Examples:

    "The letters “a”, “n” and “d” spell “and”."

  5. Spell as a verb (transitive, figuratively):

    To indicate that (some event) will occur.

    Examples:

    "This spells trouble."

  6. Spell as a verb (transitive, figuratively, with “out”):

    To clarify; to explain in detail.

    Examples:

    "Please spell it out for me."

  7. Spell as a verb:

    To constitute; to measure.

  1. Spell as a verb (transitive):

    To work in place of (someone).

    Examples:

    "to spell the helmsman"

  2. Spell as a verb (transitive):

    To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break.

    Examples:

    "They spelled the horses and rested in the shade of some trees near a brook."

  3. Spell as a verb (intransitive, colloquial):

    To rest from work for a time.

  1. Spell as a noun (rare):

    A (of work); a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour.

  2. Spell as a noun (informal):

    A definite (of work or other activity).

  3. Spell as a noun (colloquial):

    An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); a relatively short distance.

  4. Spell as a noun:

    A period of rest; time off.

  5. Spell as a noun (colloquial, US):

    A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc.

  6. Spell as a noun (cricket):

    An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler.

  1. Spell as a noun (dialectal):

    A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Holland"

  2. Spell as a noun:

    The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell.

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