What does ming mean?
Ming has two established uses in modern English. As a verb, it means to mix or blend different elements, especially when they become difficult to distinguish from one another. It is often used of speech, writing, colours, or styles, and has an informal, sometimes slightly dismissive tone: mingling several dialects can make a conversation hard to follow. As a noun, a ming is a fragrant evergreen shrub belonging to the genus Aglaia and cultivated as an ornamental plant. The capitalized form Ming also refers to the Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644, a period associated with court porcelain, painting, and other major artistic developments. Although the meanings are quite different, the word is memorable for its compactness: the same term can denote a flowering shrub, a historical dynasty, and the blending of separate things.
A Chinese evergreen shrub of the genus Aglaia, grown as an ornamental for its small, intensely fragrant flowers.
"A young ming grew in a ceramic pot beside the entrance."
The plural is mings. The capitalized form Ming can also denote the Chinese dynasty or objects associated with its period, as in Ming vase.
To mix or blend different things, especially speech, writing, colours, or other elements in a way that makes them difficult to distinguish.
"The recording ming too many voices together to be intelligible."
This use is informal and especially common in American English. It may carry a negative connotation when used of unclear or poorly differentiated language.
Mings is the regular plural when referring to the shrubs. The proper historical form Ming normally has no plural.
"Several mings in the courtyard flowered at the same time."
One word can name both a fragrant flowering shrub and the act of blending different things into an indistinct mixture.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ming
The botanical name ming was adopted from Chinese for the plant, whose scientific classification places it in the genus Aglaia. The verb arose in American English from the language of mixing or blending and is related to mingle. The capitalized historical form Ming is the conventional English name of the Chinese dynasty represented by the Chinese character 明, although the deeper historical origin of that name is not straightforward.
Related word forms
How ming is actually used
The verb is chiefly informal and especially common in American English; it can sound dismissive when describing language or speech that lacks clarity. As the name of the Chinese dynasty, the word is normally capitalized and used as a modifier, as in "Ming porcelain."
Easily confused with ming
Ming is a flowering shrub or means to blend, whereas a mink is a small semiaquatic mammal valued for its fur.