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mi·ter (mītər)
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n.
1. The liturgical headdress and part of the insignia of a Christian bishop. In the Western church it is a tall pointed hat with peaks in front and back, worn at all solemn functions.
2.
a. A thong for binding the hair, worn by women in ancient Greece.
b. The ceremonial headdress worn by ancient Jewish high priests.
3.
a. A miter joint.
b. The edge of a piece of material that has been beveled preparatory to making a miter joint.
c. A miter square.
v. mi·tered, mi·ter·ing, mi·ters
v.tr.
1. To bestow a miter upon.
2.
a. To make (two pieces or surfaces) join with a miter joint.
b. To bevel the edges of for joining with a miter joint.
v.intr.
To meet in a miter joint.
[Middle English mitre, from Old French, from Medieval Latin, from Latin mitra, headdress of the Jewish high priest, from Greek.]
miter·er n.
(click for a larger image)
miter
worn by Dr. John Sentamu, Archbishop of York
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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