miter

[mahy-ter] /ˈmaɪ tər/
noun
1.
the official headdress of a bishop in the Western Church, in its modern form a tall cap with a top deeply cleft crosswise, the outline of the front and back resembling that of a pointed arch.
2.
the office or rank of a bishop; bishopric.
3.
Judaism. the official headdress of the ancient high priest, bearing on the front a gold plate engraved with the words Holiness to the Lord. Ex. 28:36–38.
4.
a fillet worn by women of ancient Greece.
5.
Carpentry. an oblique surface formed on a piece of wood or the like so as to butt against an oblique surface on another piece to be joined with it.
6.
Nautical. the inclined seam connecting the two cloths of an angulated sail.
verb (used with object)
7.
to bestow a miter upon, or raise to a rank entitled to it.
8.
to join with a miter joint.
9.
to cut to a miter.
10.
to join (two edges of fabric) at a corner by various methods of folding, cutting, and stitching.
Also, especially British, mitre.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English mitre (noun) < Latin mitra < Greek mítra turban, headdress
Examples from the web for miter
  • It consists of a cast-iron plumbing trap turned upside down and mounted on a wooden miter box.
  • Measure old baluster position and mark inside new miter line.
  • Fabricated miter joints shall be reinforced by fusion heat welding.
British Dictionary definitions for miter

miter

/ˈmaɪtə/
noun, verb
1.
the usual US spelling of mitre

mitre

/ˈmaɪtə/
noun
1.
(Christianity) the liturgical headdress of a bishop or abbot, in most western churches consisting of a tall pointed cleft cap with two bands hanging down at the back
2.
short for mitre joint
3.
a bevelled surface of a mitre joint
4.
(in sewing) a diagonal join where the hems along two sides meet at a corner of the fabric
verb (transitive)
5.
to make a mitre joint between (two pieces of material, esp wood)
6.
to make a mitre in (a fabric)
7.
to confer a mitre upon: a mitred abbot
Word Origin
C14: from Old French, from Latin mitra, from Greek mitra turban
Word Origin and History for miter
n.

alternative spelling of mitre (see -re).

in the carpentry sense of "joint at a 45 degree angle," 1670s, perhaps from mitre, via notion of joining of the two peaks of the folded cap. As a verb from 1731.

Encyclopedia Article for miter

liturgical headdress worn by Roman Catholic bishops and abbots and some Anglican and Lutheran bishops. It has two shield-shaped stiffened halves that face the front and back. Two fringed streamers, known as lappets, hang from the back. It developed from the papal tiara and came into use in the 11th century.

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