miter

1 of 4

noun (1)

mi·​ter ˈmī-tər 

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 joint

miter

2 of 4

verb (1)

variants or mitre

mitered or mitred; mitering or mitring ˈmī-tə-riŋ  ; 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

ˈmī-tər-ər 

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

Swarms of priests decked out in shimmery gold and cream robes, fancy miters, and headdresses poured out of the double doors and paraded down the street. —Barbara Noe Kennedy, Travel + Leisure, 18 June 2024

The primates were wearing full ceremonial dress, including robes, shoes and a bishop’s miter, or headdress, that was sewn with gold thread, according to the release. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 31 May 2024

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

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

Phrases Containing miter

• miter box
• miter joint
• miter square

Kids Definition

miter

1 of 2 noun

mi·​ter

variants or mitre

ˈmīt-ər 

1

: a high pointed headdress worn by a bishop or abbot in church ceremonies

2

: miter joint

miter

2 of 2 verb

variants or mitre

mitered or mitred; mitering or mitring ˈmīt-ə-riŋ 

: to match or fit together in a miter joint