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mete

1
[ meet ]
/ mit /
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verb (used with object), met·ed, met·ing.
to distribute or apportion by measure; allot; dole (usually followed by out): to mete out punishment.
Archaic. to measure.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as


Origin of mete

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English metan; cognate with Dutch meten,Old Norse meta,Gothic mitan,German messen to measure, Greek mᾗdesthai to ponder

OTHER WORDS FROM mete

un·met·ed, adjective

Other definitions for mete (2 of 3)

mete2
[ meet ]
/ mit /

noun
a limiting mark.
a limit or boundary.

Origin of mete

2
1275–1325; Middle English <Middle French <Latin mēta goal, turning post

Other definitions for mete (3 of 3)

Met.E.

abbreviation
metallurgical engineer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mete in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mete (1 of 2)

mete1
/ (miːt) /

verb (tr)
(usually foll by out) formal to distribute or allot (something, often unpleasant)
verb, noun
poetic, dialect (to) measure

Word Origin for mete

Old English metan; compare Old Saxon metan, Old Norse meta, German messen to measure

British Dictionary definitions for mete (2 of 2)

mete2
/ (miːt) /

noun
rare a mark, limit, or boundary (esp in the phrase metes and bounds)

Word Origin for mete

C15: from Old French, from Latin mēta goal, turning post (in race)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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