mense

English

Etymology

From earlier mensk, from Middle English menske (courtesy, honour), from Old English mennisċu (the human condition, humanity) and/or Old Norse menska (humanity). More at mennish, mensch.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɛns/

Noun

mense (countable and uncountable, plural menses)

  1. Property, owndom; possessions.
  2. (UK, dialect) Decency; propriety; civility.
    • 1812, John Bell, Rhymes of Northern Bards: Being a Curious Collection of Old and New Songs and Poems, Peculiar to the Counties of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, and Durham, page 185:
      ... But never a soul had the mense to come near them, []
    • 1842, William Chambers, Robert Chambers, Chambers's Information for the People, page 796:
      Little mense to the cheeks to bite aff the nose []
    • 1871, Henry Scott Riddell, The Poetical Works of Henry Scott Riddell, page 141:
      For she had baked a crumpie cake And butter scones, for mense's sake, To entertain her lodger.
    • 1895, William Dunbar, Dunbar: Being a Selection from the Poems of an Old Makar, page 31:
      Be seen with men of mense, but turn aside From swicks and sweeps, the silly and the low  []
    • 1904, Samuel Rutherford Crockett, The Men of the Moss-hags: Being a History of Adventure Taken from the Papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway, page 126:
      ... ye'll hae the sense and the mense to keep a calm sough, []
  3. (UK, dialect) A large amount.
    • 1841, Richard Winter Hamilton, Nugae Literariae: Prose and Verse, page 356:
      There is not a mense of snow in "smoky Leeds,"
    • 1857, James Stewart, Sketches of Scottish Character, and Other Poems. The Late James Steward. With a Memoir of the Author, page 22:
      He has a mense o' pure nonsense,

Derived terms

Verb

mense (third-person singular simple present menses, present participle mensing, simple past and past participle mensed)

  1. To adorn, bring honour to; grace.

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Noun

mense

  1. plural of mens: people

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mēnsa. Compare the inherited doublet moise, which acquired a technical sense.

Pronunciation

Noun

mense f (plural menses)

  1. (archaic) table
  2. Ecclesiastical revenue, especially that of an abbey

Further reading

Interlingua

Etymology

From Latin mensis (month).

Noun

mense (plural menses)

  1. month

See also

Italian

Noun

mense f

  1. plural of mensa

Latin

Pronunciation

Noun

mēnse

  1. ablative singular of mēnsis

Participle

mēnse

  1. vocative masculine singular of mēnsus

Anagrams