Mean has 23 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Verb · Adjective · Proper Noun
an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n
"The statistical software calculated the geometric mean of the investment returns to show the actual growth rate over the five-year period."
A method or course of action used to achieve some result.
In plain English: A mean person is someone who treats others badly or unkindly on purpose.
"I don't want to be mean to anyone, but that kid is being such a mean today."
Usage: Use "mean" as a noun only when referring to an average value calculated from a set of numbers. It should not be used to describe a plan, strategy, or intended outcome in everyday conversation.
have a specified degree of importance
"My ex-husband means nothing to me"
"Happiness means everything"
intend to refer to
"I'm thinking of good food when I talk about France"
"Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!"
To intend.
"Meaning to express deep regret, he meant that his old friend had been right all along about their future plans."
To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention.
To lament.
In plain English: To mean is to intend or plan to do something specific.
"She decided to mean well when she apologized for her mistake."
Usage: The everyday meaning of "mean" as a verb involves implying or intending something, not lamenting. Use it to describe what someone intends to do or signifies, such as when you say the sign means stop.
having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality
"that liberal obedience without which your army would be a base rabble"
"taking a mean advantage"
"chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"
"something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics"
Common; general.
"The average height of the basketball team is exactly 6 feet, which means their mean height falls right in that middle range."
Having the mean (see noun below) as its value.
In plain English: Mean describes someone who is unkind, cruel, or nasty to other people.
"He was mean to his younger brother today."
Usage: In everyday usage, the adjective "mean" describes someone who is unkind or unpleasant rather than having an average value. Use this term to criticize behavior that is cruel or stingy, not when discussing statistical averages.
Initialism of MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, Node.js: a software stack for developing web sites with both client-side and server-side use of JavaScript.
"The new team decided to switch their development workflow to MEAN because it allows them to write all the application code using just one programming language."
The word "mean" comes from Old English mǣnan, which originally meant to intend, remember, or complain. Over time, the sense of intending evolved into its modern definition while retaining a connection to earlier ideas of thinking and lamenting.