What does "mead" mean?
An alcoholic drink fermented from honey and water.
Mead
/miːd/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An alcoholic drink fermented from honey and water.
- Grammar: mead is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: brew, campo, field, grass.
- Useful contrasts: cityscape, nonalcoholic beverage, urban area.
- Usage evidence: The American anthropologist Margaret Mead once said that one should never underestimate what a small group of dedicated people can accomplish.
How to use "mead"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mead" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mead" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mead" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mead" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mead" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "brew" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mead", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An alcoholic drink fermented from honey and water. uncountable, usually
""Just come in," said Mrs. Churchill, "and take one glass of my mead." / "No—not even such a golden promise tempts me. I am afraid that Lord Marchmont will be at home before me—and he is not yet accustomed to be kept waiting.""
- 2 A meadow. poetic
"Farewel ye crystal streams, that pass / Thro’ fragrant meads of verdant grass:"
- 3 made of fermented honey and water wordnet
- 4 A drink composed of syrup of sarsaparilla or other flavouring extract, and water, and sometimes charged with carbon dioxide. US, uncountable, usually
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Old English.
- 2 A place name:; A rural community in Cochrane District, north-eastern Ontario, Canada.
- 3 A place name:; A locality in the Shire of Gannawarra, northern Victoria, Australia
- 4 A place name:; In the United States:; A statutory town in Weld County, Colorado.
- 5 A place name:; In the United States:; A township in Merrick County, Nebraska.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A place name:; In the United States:; A village in Saunders County, Nebraska.
- 7 A place name:; In the United States:; A township in Belmont County, Ohio.
- 8 A place name:; In the United States:; A town in Bryan County, Oklahoma.
- 9 A place name:; In the United States:; A township in Warren County, Pennsylvania.
- 10 A place name:; In the United States:; A census-designated place in Spokane County, Washington, named after George Meade.
- 11 A place name:; In the United States:; A town in Clark County, Wisconsin.
Example
"The American anthropologist Margaret Mead once said that one should never underestimate what a small group of dedicated people can accomplish."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mead"?
Common synonyms include: brew, campo, field, grass, grassland, grazing.
How do you use "mead" in a sentence?
The American anthropologist Margaret Mead once said that one should never underestimate what a small group of dedicated people can accomplish.
How do you pronounce "mead"?
Pronounced /miːd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English mede, from Old English medu, from Proto-West Germanic *medu, from Proto-Germanic *meduz, from Proto-Indo-European *médʰu (“honey; honey wine”). Cognate with Ancient Greek μέθυ (méthu) (whence English methyl), Lithuanian medùs, Old Church Slavonic медъ (medŭ, “honey”), Persian می (mey), Sanskrit मधु (mádhu), Welsh medd, Finnish mesi, Chinese 蜜 (mì).
Etymology 2
From Middle English mede (“meadow”), from Old English mǣd. Cognate with West Frisian miede, Mede, German Low German Meed, Dutch made.
Etymology 3
Two main origins: * A topographic surname for someone who lived by a meadow, from Old English mǣd (“meadow”). * A metonymic occupational surname for a brewer or seller of mead, from Old English medu (“mead”).