meet

Meet is a word with several related but distinct senses in English. As a verb, meet primarily means to come into the presence of someone, to encounter someone or something, or to assemble with others for a purpose. It can also mean to satisfy or comply with a requirement or standard, as in meeting the criteria. The present tense is meet, the past tense is met, and the present participle is meeting. Common usages include meeting someone for the first time, meeting a deadline, or meeting a challenge and striving to overcome it. The phrase meet halfway expresses a compromise.

As a noun, a meet refers to an organized event or gathering, especially an athletic competition such as a track meet or a swimming meet, and more generally to any assembly where people come together.

As an adjective, meet means suitable or proper. This sense is now largely archaic outside of formal or legal contexts, where phrases like "meet and proper" may still appear.

Etymology and history: Meet originates in Old English and has cognates in other Germanic languages. The verb sense of coming together gave rise to the noun sense of an assembly or event. The word’s forms reflect its Germanic roots, with met as the irregular past tense. The various meanings have remained distinct but interconnected through the core idea of coming together, suitability, and fulfillment of conditions.