miter

1 of 4

noun (1)

mi·​ter ˈmī-tər How to pronounce miter (audio)
variants or mitre
plural miters or mitres
1
: a surface forming a beveled end or edge where a joint is made by cutting two pieces of material (such as wood) at an angle and fitting them together
cut the miters
often used before another noun
miter cuts
a miter saw
2

miter

2 of 4

verb (1)

variants or mitre
mitered or mitred; mitering or mitring ˈmī-tə-riŋ How to pronounce miter (audio) ; miters or mitres

transitive verb

1
: to match or fit together in a miter joint
mitered the corners of the frame
2
: to bevel the ends of for making a miter joint
miter a board
a mitered edge
miterer noun
plural miterers

miter

3 of 4

noun (2)

variants or mitre
plural miters or mitres
: a liturgical headdress worn by bishops and abbots

miter

4 of 4

verb (2)

variants or mitre
mitered or mitred; mitering or mitring; miters or mitres

transitive verb

: to raise (someone) to a rank that is allowed to wear a miter (see miter entry 3) on

Examples of miter in a Sentence

Verb (1) The corners of the frame were carefully mitered.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Air bubblers on the miter gates can clear debris and ice. Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 19 Jan. 2024 Step 2: Make Legs and Sand Cut one end of each leg at a 27-degree angle using a miter saw. Hannah Bruneman, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2023 That’s dangerous—the board can kick back—so use a miter gauge to chop the pieces to length. Paul Steiner, Popular Mechanics, 24 Mar. 2023 The tool operates a bit like a power miter saw, but instead of a woodcutting blade, it’s equipped with a 4½-inch diameter grinding wheel. Joe Truini, Popular Mechanics, 10 July 2023 There’s also a 0.75-inch wide miter gauge with T-slots to hold feather boards and other accessories. Barbara Bellesi Zito, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2023 Amazon’s sale is quite extensive and also features a pancake air compressor, 31-piece screwdriver set, and a 12-inch, double-bevel miter saw. Brandon Russell, Popular Mechanics, 21 Mar. 2023 It’s equipped with a 10-inch, 24-tooth carbide blade as well a miter gauge. Barbara Bellesi Zito, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2023 Recycling also played a part: much medieval writing was preserved on parchment, a durable material made from animal skins, which people in later historical periods recycled to make boxes, strengthen book spines and even lend stiffness to a bishop’s miter. Sophie Bushwick, Scientific American, 8 Mar. 2022
Verb
These luxurious sheets feature a heavier-weight fabric that breathes well, an elegant 7-inch trim hem on three sides of the top sheet, and mitered corners with deep, 17-inch pockets. Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2023 This versatility makes miter saws essential for a wide range of DIY carpentry projects, from cutting deck boards to trim moulding. Alex Rennie, Popular Mechanics, 27 July 2023 These saws are quick and accurate, and thanks to a pivoting and tilting blade, most can make angled miter and bevel cuts as well. Alex Rennie, Popular Mechanics, 27 July 2023 This one soars inside with open space, huge pale timbers and vaulting ceilings mitered into many angles. Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, 24 Oct. 2019 The box's top and bottom panels rest in rabbets cut into the sides and front, which are mitered at the front corners. Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 16 Mar. 2015 The car's handsome design had nods to town (a steel roof and smart deco detailing on the fender skirts) and country (mitered white ash paneling on the sides and rear, mahogany on the interior). Ash Carter, Town & Country, 3 Apr. 2013

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

of uncertain origin

Note: The Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, hypothesizes that this miter is the same word as miter entry 3, "perhaps with reference to the early form of the episcopal mitre, which had a vertical band bisecting the angle at the top." This is possible, though it is questionable how familiar a joiner or builder in the sixteenth or seventeenth century—assuming this period is when the word arose—would be with the construction of a bishop's hat. The word is also attested as French mitre with the identical meaning in the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot, et al. (tome 10 [1765], p. 584), along with a description of a miter box (boîte de mitre). The information may have been drawn from the multivolume Descriptions des arts et métiers that appeared around the same time as the Encyclopédie and from which much of its technical information was derived. The Oxford English Dictionary also notes the occurrence of Latin mitra in the Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, though the assignment of the meaning "miter square" to the citation in question appears to be conjectural.

Verb (1)

derivative of miter entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English mitre, miter, mitur "head covering, headband, bishop's headdress," borrowed from Anglo-French mitre "bishop's headdress," borrowed from Medieval Latin mitra, going back to Late Latin, "headdress of a Jewish priest," going back to Latin, "Asian headdress fastened with ribbons under the chin," borrowed from Greek mítra "armor protecting the lower part of a warrior's body (Homer), waistband of a woman or goddess, headband worn by women and Asian men," of uncertain origin

Note: Greek mítra has been compared with Sanskrit mitráḥ "partner in a treaty or pact, friend," Mitráḥ, the name of a deity, mitrám "contract, treaty, friendship," and Avestan miθra- "treaty, contract." Hypothetically, these could be the outcomes of an Indo-European noun *mi-tro- "connection, attachment," a derivative of a presumed verbal base *mei̯- "connect, join," as both the Greek and Indo-Iranian nouns might describe something connected, literally in the case of the Greek word, figuratively in the Indo-Iranian case. However, there appears to be no certain evidence for a verb *mei̯- with this meaning, as Sanskrit minóti "(s/he) fixes, erects, establishes," mita- "fixed, erected," Old Irish do·dímen "(s/he) binds, makes fast, fixes," point to a somewhat different sense. Alternatively, Greek mítra has been taken as a borrowing from Indo-Iranian—improbably, given attestation in Homer—or a borrowing from an Asian or substratum language.

Verb (2)

Middle English mitren "to invest with a miter," derivative of mitre miter entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of miter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near miter

Cite this Entry

“Miter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

miter

1 of 2 noun
mi·​ter
variants or mitre
1
: a high pointed headdress worn by a bishop or abbot in church ceremonies
2

miter

2 of 2 verb
variants or mitre
mitered or mitred; mitering or mitring ˈmīt-ə-riŋ How to pronounce miter (audio)
: to match or fit together in a miter joint
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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