medial

American  

[mee-dee-uhl] / ˈmi di əl /

adjective

1. situated in or pertaining to the middle; median; intermediate.

2. pertaining to a mean or average; average.

3. ordinary.

4. Phonetics. within a word or syllable; neither initial nor final, as the t, a, and n in stand.

5. Entomology. pertaining to, involving, or situated near the media.

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noun

1. Phonetics.

   1. a medial sound or letter.

   2. media.

medial British  

/ ˈmiːdɪəl /

adjective

1. of or situated in the middle

2. ordinary or average in size

3. maths relating to an average

4. another word for median median median

5. zoology of or relating to a media

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noun

1. phonetics a speech sound between being fortis and lenis; media

Other Word Forms

• medially adverb
• postmedial adjective
• submedial adjective
• submedially adverb
• supermedial adjective
• supermedially adverb

Etymology

Origin of medial

First recorded in 1560–70, medial is from the Late Latin word mediālis middle. See medium, -al ¹

Example Sentences

The midfielder suffered a medial collateral ligament injury in the Gunners' win over West Ham on 4 October and had to be replaced during the first half.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2025

And in the Simpsons neuron case, for example, it was just a subset of neurons in the medial temporal lobe that behaved with extreme specificity to enable patients to quickly grasp the relevant concept.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2025

When she tore the same ACL and her medial meniscus last November, it took her a full year to recover, and then it took time to find her footing early this season.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2025

She dislocated her shoulder the day before travelling to Paris, having previously torn the medial collateral ligament in her right knee.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2024

In G. and R. medial ḍ is pronounced as a rough cerebral ṛ, and is then so transcribed.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various