The Collaborative International Dictionary
Mean \Mean\, a. [OE. mene, OF. meiien, F. moyen, fr. L. medianus that is in the middle, fr. medius; akin to E. mid. See Mid.]
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Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes.
Being of middle age and a mean stature.
--Sir. P. Sidney. -
Intermediate in excellence of any kind.
According to the fittest style of lofty, mean, or lowly.
--Milton. -
(Math.) Average; having an intermediate value between two extremes, or between the several successive values of a variable quantity during one cycle of variation; as, mean distance; mean motion; mean solar day.
Mean distance (of a planet from the sun) (Astron.), the average of the distances throughout one revolution of the planet, equivalent to the semi-major axis of the orbit.
Mean error (Math. Phys.), the average error of a number of observations found by taking the mean value of the positive and negative errors without regard to sign.
Mean-square error, or Error of the mean square (Math. Phys.), the error the square of which is the mean of the squares of all the errors; -- called also, mean square deviation, mean error.
Mean line. (Crystallog.) Same as Bisectrix.
Mean noon, noon as determined by mean time.
Mean proportional (between two numbers) (Math.), the square root of their product.
Mean sun, a fictitious sun supposed to move uniformly in the equator so as to be on the meridian each day at mean noon.
Mean time, time as measured by an equable motion, as of a perfect clock, or as reckoned on the supposition that all the days of the year are of a mean or uniform length, in contradistinction from apparent time, or that actually indicated by the sun, and from sidereal time, or that measured by the stars.
WordNet
n. the arithmetic mean of the maximum and minimum distances of a celestial body (satellite or secondary star) from its primary
Usage examples of "mean distance".
Jupiter takes almost 12 years to complete its trip around the sun at a mean distance of some five astronomical units.
This precious weapon of American origin could throw with ease a conical projectile of nine pounds to a mean distance of ten miles.
And there was Ramnu, circling Niku at a mean distance, which varied little, of 1.
In the tremendous expanse of the Vega constellation the fortieth planet was situated at a mean distance of twenty-eight billion miles from its sun.
This time the Springers came from a different direction and the mean distance of the transitioning ships was around 38 light-years.
The location of Suttney's transmitter had been determined to be the innermost planet, which revolved about the central star at a mean distance of 0.