mitre

Meanings

Noun

• A covering for the head, worn on solemn occasions by church dignitaries, which has been made in many forms, mostly recently a tall cap with two points or peaks.
• The surface forming the bevelled end or edge of a piece where a miter joint is made; also, a joint formed or a junction effected by two beveled ends or edges; a miter joint.
• A 13th-century coin minted in Europe which circulated in Ireland as a debased counterfeit sterling penny, outlawed under Edward I.
• A cap or cowl for a chimney or ventilation pipe.
• A gusset in sewing, etc.
• A square with one triangular quarter missing from the outside.

Verb

• To adorn with a mitre.
• To unite at an angle of 45°.

Origin

• From Middle English mytre, from Old French mitre, from Ancient Greek μίτρα ("headband, turban"). Its use in reference to a counterfeit coin derived from the bishop's mitre stamped upon it. Mithras, Mithra, Mitra, and Mehr.