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. medium.

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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

After the game, coach Eric Musselman said he thought Baker-Mazara likely suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament, but he won’t know for sure until the team receives MRI exam results.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

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

These concept cells have to date only been found in the medial temporal lobe, where the amygdala is located and where many structures related to cognition and emotion are found.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 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

A mean proportion, medial sum or quantity, made out of unequal sums or quantities; an arithmetical mean.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah