Meanness
/ˈmiːnnəs/noun
The quality of being unkind, petty, or stingy.
Did you know?In Old English, the root behind *mean* was about being ordinary or of little rank, so the word’s emotional sting is a later evolution, not an ancient curse.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mei-
“to change, exchange, or move about”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*mainiz
“shared, common”
Old English
English
gemæne
“common, shared, general”
Middle English
English
mene
“common, low, inferior; also moderate”
14th Century
English
meannesse
“lowness of rank or condition; inferiority; later, stinginess or spite”