media

¹ American  

[mee-dee-uh] / ˈmi di ə /

noun

1. a plural of medium.

2. (usually used with a plural verb) the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet, that reach or influence people widely.

   The media are covering the speech tonight.

---

adjective

1. pertaining to or concerned with such means.

   a job in media research.

media ² American  

[mee-dee-uh] / ˈmi di ə /

noun

plural

mediae

1. Greek Grammar. a voiced plosive, as β, δ, γ.

2. Anatomy. the middle layer of an artery or lymphatic vessel.

3. Entomology. a longitudinal vein in the middle portion of the wing of an insect.

---

Media ³ American  

[mee-dee-uh] / ˈmi di ə /

noun

1. an ancient country in W Asia, S of the Caspian Sea, corresponding generally to NW Iran. Ecbatana.

---

media ¹ British  

/ ˈmɛdɪə /

noun

1. the middle layer of the wall of a blood or lymph vessel

2. one of the main veins in the wing of an insect

3. phonetics

   1. a consonant whose articulation lies midway between that of a voiced and breathed speech sound

   2. a consonant pronounced with weak voice, as c in French second

---

media ² British  

/ ˈmiːdɪə /

noun

1. a plural of medium

2. the means of communication that reach large numbers of people, such as television, newspapers, and radio

---

adjective

1. of or relating to the mass media

   media hype

Media ³ British  

/ ˈmiːdɪə /

noun

1. an ancient country of SW Asia, south of the Caspian Sea: inhabited by the Medes; overthrew the Assyrian Empire in 612 _bc in alliance with Babylonia; conquered by Cyrus the Great in 550 _bc ; corresponds to present-day NW Iran

---

Usage

Media, like data, is the plural form of a word borrowed directly from Latin. The singular, medium, early developed the meaning “an intervening agency, means, or instrument” and was first applied to newspapers two centuries ago. In the 1920s media began to appear as a singular collective noun, sometimes with the plural medias. This singular use is now common in the fields of mass communication and advertising, but it is not frequently found outside them: The media is (or are ) not antibusiness.

When media refers to the mass media, it is sometimes treated as a singular form, as in: the media has shown great interest in these events. Many people think this use is incorrect and that media should always be treated as a plural form: the media have shown great interest in these events

Etymology

Origin of media¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of media²

First recorded in 1835–45; from Late Latin (grammar sense only), noun use of feminine singular of Latin medius “middle”; mid ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

I was able to stream media from every single service I tried while on VPN.

From Salon

And he has not been afraid to take on the pro-Orban new outlets that dominate Hungary's media landscape.

From BBC

In rare criticism of the government from pro-Kremlin media, a Russian tabloid this week published an article criticizing state efforts to police the internet.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hundreds of posts from angry attendees flooded social media sites this weekend, many of whom said the event was a far cry from what was advertised.

From Los Angeles Times

Videos on social media have documented the outage, with one appearing to show it resulting in a highway collision, although police said no injuries had been reported and passengers exited their vehicles safely.

From BBC

Related Words

• news
• publishing
• radio
• television