medallion
Americannoun
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a large medal.
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anything resembling a medal in form, used as an ornament, in a design, etc.
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a permit issued by a governmental agency to operate a taxicab, usually represented by a small metal identification disk displayed on the taxi.
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Architecture.
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a tablet, usually rounded, often bearing objects represented in relief.
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a member in a decorative design resembling a panel.
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noun
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a large medal
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an oval or circular decorative device resembling a medal, usually bearing a portrait or relief moulding, used in architecture and textile design
Etymology
Origin of medallion
1650–60; < French médaillon < Italian medaglione, augmentative of medaglia medal
Explanation
A medallion is a very large metal pendant that's given as an award. The medallion you won when you finished that marathon must be one of your most cherished possessions. Medallions are extra big medals, discs of metal stamped with a design on both sides. When they're given to mark some achievement, medallions are often suspended from a ribbon that's hung around the recipient's neck or pinned to their clothing. Another kind of medallion is a small disc of boneless meat. And although most taxi drivers do deserve a medal, a taxi medallion is a permit to drive a cab.
Vocabulary lists containing medallion
Dactyl Hill Squad
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Let Me Hear a Rhyme
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The Castle in the Attic
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As if to underline the point, he wore a medallion around his neck featuring NBC’s peacock logo.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
Chinese startup iBuddi came to Las Vegas to present a prototype of a companion medallion aimed at combating screen fatigue.
From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026
Past a blooming gold medallion tree, and and at the end of a path of spaced concrete tiles, there’s a shed with a seafoam-green door that houses the heart of his life’s work.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025
Look for a cast iron medallion of a bulldog on the building’s exterior to indicate you’re in the right place.
From Salon • Dec. 3, 2024
Men and women alike wore painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings cinched by bronze medallion belts, and the warriors greased their long braids with fat from the rendering pits.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
