mediaeval

[ mee-dee-ee-vuh l, med-ee-, mid-ee-, mid-ee-vuh l ]
/ ˌmi diˈi vəl, ˌmɛd i-, ˌmɪd i-, mɪdˈi vəl /

adjective

medieval.

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OTHER WORDS FROM mediaeval

Words nearby mediaeval

media center, media event, media literacy, mediacy, mediad, mediaeval, mediagenic, medial, medial cord of brachial plexus, medial crest, medial cuneiform bone

Definition for mediaeval (2 of 2)

medieval

or me·di·ae·val

[ mee-dee-ee-vuh l, med-ee-, mid-ee-, mid-ee-vuh l ]
/ ˌmi diˈi vəl, ˌmɛd i-, ˌmɪd i-, mɪdˈi vəl /

adjective

of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or in the style of the Middle Ages: medieval architecture.Compare Middle Ages.
Informal. extremely old-fashioned; primitive.

Origin of medieval

1820–30; < New Latin medi(um) aev(um) the middle age + -al1. See medium, age

OTHER WORDS FROM medieval

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mediaeval

British Dictionary definitions for mediaeval (1 of 2)

mediaeval
/ (ˌmɛdɪˈiːvəl) /

adjective

a variant spelling of medieval

British Dictionary definitions for mediaeval (2 of 2)

medieval

mediaeval

/ (ˌmɛdɪˈiːvəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or in the style of the Middle Ages
informal old-fashioned; primitive

Derived forms of medieval

medievally or mediaevally, adverb

Word Origin for medieval

C19: from New Latin medium aevum the middle age. See medium, age
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for mediaeval

medieval

A descriptive term for people, objects, events, and institutions of the Middle Ages.

notes for medieval

“Medieval” is sometimes used as a term of disapproval for outdated ideas and customs. It may suggest inhuman practices, such as torture of prisoners. (See Inquisition.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.