| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| means (n.) |
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| meaning “wealth or ability to pay,” “anything useful in attaining a goal,” or “a way of doing things,” is a plural noun, but it can take either a singular or a plural verb: The means is [are] not always justified by the end. It occurs most frequently in two Standard idioms: means to an end, “a way of accomplishing what one seeks,” as in It wasn’t pretty, but it was a means to an end, and by all means, meaning “at all costs,” “in any way possible,” and hence “without question”: By all means, ask him to come. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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