definitions

median

[ mee-dee-uh n ]
/ ˈmi di ən /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR median ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Arithmetic, Statistics. the middle number in a given sequence of numbers, taken as the average of the two middle numbers when the sequence has an even number of numbers: 4 is the median of 1, 3, 4, 8, 9.
Geometry. a straight line from a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side.
Also called midpoint. a vertical line that divides a histogram into two equal parts.Compare central tendency.
median strip.

adjective

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What’s The Difference: Average, Mean, Median, And ModeAs you probably know the terms average, mean, median, and mode are commonly confused with one another because they all describe ways to talk about sets of numbers.
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RELATED WORDS

par, central, center, average, midpoint, midway, intermediate, intermediary, mean, equidistant, halfway, medial, mid, middlemost, midmost

Nearby words

medial occipitotemporal gyrus, medial plantar nerve, medial pterygoid muscle, medial rectus muscle, medial supraclavicular nerve, median, median artery, median bar of mercier, median groove of tongue, median lethal dose, median line

Origin of median

First recorded in 1535–45, median is from the Latin word mediānus in the middle. See medium, -an

Related forms

me·di·an·ly, adverbpost·me·di·an, adjectivepre·me·di·an, noun, adjectivesub·me·di·an, adjective

Can be confused

mean medianmedia median medium mediums

Definition for median (2 of 2)

Median

[ mee-dee-uh n ]
/ ˈmi di ən /

adjective

of or relating to Media, the Medes, or their language.

noun

a Mede.
the Iranian language of ancient Media, contemporaneous with Old Persian.

Origin of Median

First recorded in 1595–1605; Medi(a) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for median

British Dictionary definitions for median

median

/ (ˈmiːdɪən) /

adjective

noun

Derived Forms

medianly, adverb

Word Origin for median

C16: from Latin mediānus, from medius middle
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

Medicine definitions for median

median

[ mē′dē-ən ]

adj.

Relating to, located in, or extending toward the middle.
Of, relating to, or situated in or near the plane that divides a bilaterally symmetrical animal into right and left halves; mesial.
Of, relating to, or constituting the middle value in a distribution.

n.

A median point, plane, line, or part.
The middle value in a distribution, above and below which lie an equal number of values.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for median

median

[ mē′dē-ən ]

In a sequence of numbers arranged from smallest to largest:
  1. The middle number, when such a sequence has an odd number of values. For example, in the sequence 3, 4, 14, 35, 280, the median is 14.
  2. The average of the two middle numbers, when such a sequence has an even number of values. For example, in the sequence 4, 8, 10, 56, the median is 9 (the average of 8 and 10). Compare arithmetic mean average mode.
A line joining a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for median (1 of 2)

median

The point in a series at which half of the values or units of the series are higher and half lower.

Culture definitions for median (2 of 2)

median

In statistics, the middle value of a set of numbers or data points; half the figures will fall below the median and half above. (See average; compare mean and mode.)

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.