medium

[mee-dee-uhm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR medium ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural me·di·a [mee-dee-uh] /ˈmi di ə/ for 1–9, 11, me·di·ums for 1–11, 14.

a middle state or condition; mean.

something intermediate in nature or degree.

an intervening substance, as air, through which a force acts or an effect is produced.

the element that is the natural habitat of an organism.

surrounding objects, conditions, or influences; environment.

an intervening agency, means, or instrument by which something is conveyed or accomplished: Words are a medium of expression.

one of the means or channels of general communication, information, or entertainment in society, as newspapers, radio, or television.

Biology. the substance in which specimens are displayed or preserved.

Also called culture medium. Bacteriology. a liquid or solidified nutrient material suitable for the cultivation of microorganisms.

a person through whom the spirits of the dead are alleged to be able to contact the living.

Fine Arts.

Painting.a liquid with which pigments are mixed.
the material or technique with which an artist works: the medium of watercolor.

a size of printing paper, 18½ × 23½ inches (47 × 60 cm) in England, 18 × 23 to 19 × 25 inches (46 × 58 to 48 × 64 cm) in America.

Chiefly British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 17½ × 22 inches (44 × 56 cm).

Also called medium strip. Midland U.S. median strip.

in medium, Movies, Television. with the principal actors in the middle distance: The scene was shot in medium.

adjective

about halfway between extremes, as of degree, amount, quality, position, or size: Cook over medium heat. He is of medium height.

Origin of medium

1575–85; < Latin: the middle, noun use of neuter of medius middle. See mid¹

Can be confusedmedia median medium mediums (see usage note at media¹)

Synonyms for medium

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR medium ON THESAURUS.COM

16. average, mean, middling.

Usage note

7. See media¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for medium

intermediate, form, tool, mechanism, instrument, vehicle, channel, climate, element, music, art, par, commonplace, fair, normal, median, middling, standard, middle, neutral

Examples from the Web for medium

Contemporary Examples of medium

Place the thinly sliced shallots in a medium bowl and pour buttermilk over to coat.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole
Carla Hall
December 27, 2014
And since visual media is more compelling than any other medium, it is consistently their drug of choice.
North Korea’s Secret Movie Bootleggers: How Western Films Make It Into the Hermit Kingdom
Lizzie Crocker
December 22, 2014
For OK Go the music video is medium for personal creativity, hype, and branding.
OK Go Is Helping Redefine the Music Video For the Internet Age
Lauren Schwartzberg
December 15, 2014
Video has been the medium of choice for winning artists of late; the two previous winners were both video artists.
Has the Turner Prize Gone Soft?
David Levesley
December 2, 2014
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies
Ina Garten
November 29, 2014

Historical Examples of medium

Yet they not only use this medium, but mistake it for the whitest sunshine.
The Hall of Fantasy (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Through what medium can the idea of servitude enter their minds?
The New Adam and Eve (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The new—or what seems new to me—is apparently the medium in which it is most at home.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
Yet how imperfect a glimpse do we obtain of him, through the medium of this, or any of his letters!
A Book of Autographs
Nathaniel Hawthorne
It was, indeed, necessary for me to converse by the medium of an interpreter.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for medium

medium

adjective

midway between extremes; averagea medium size

(of a colour) reflecting or transmitting a moderate amount of lighta medium red Compare light 1 (def. 29), dark (def. 2)

noun plural -dia (-dɪə) or -diums

an intermediate or middle state, degree, or condition; meanthe happy medium

an intervening substance or agency for transmitting or producing an effect; vehicleair is a medium for sound

a means or agency for communicating or diffusing information, news, etc, to the publictelevision is a powerful medium

a person supposedly used as a spiritual intermediary between the dead and the living

the substance in which specimens of animals and plants are preserved or displayed

biology short for culture medium

the substance or surroundings in which an organism naturally lives or grows

art

the category of a work of art, as determined by its materials and methods of productionthe medium of wood engraving
the materials used in a work of art

any solvent in which pigments are mixed and thinned

any one of various sizes of writing or printing paper, esp 18 1/2 by 23 1/2 inches or 17 1/2 by 22 inches (small medium)

Word Origin for medium

C16: from Latin: neuter singular of medius middle

xref

See media 1

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

Word Origin and History for medium

1580s, "a middle ground, quality, or degree," from Latin medium "the middle, midst, center; interval," noun use of neuter of adjective medius (see medial (adj.)). Meaning "intermediate agency, channel of communication" is from c.1600. That of "person who conveys spiritual messages" first recorded 1853, from notion of "substance through which something is conveyed." Artistic sense (oil, watercolors, etc.) is from 1854. Happy medium is the "golden mean," Horace's aurea mediocritas.

adj.

1660s, "average," from medium (n.). The Latin adjective was medius. Meaning "intermediate" is from 1796. As a size designation from 1711. as a designation of cooked meat, it is attested from 1931, short for medium-rare (1881).

medium in Medicine

medium

[mē′dē-əm]

n. pl. me•di•ums

Something, such as an intermediate course of action, that occupies a position or represents a condition midway between extremes.

An intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on.

An agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed, or transferred.

The substance, often nutritive, in which a specific organism lives and thrives.

A culture medium.

A filtering substance, such as filter paper.

adj.

Occurring or being between two degrees, amounts, or quantities; intermediate.

medium in Science

medium

[mē′dē-əm]

Plural media

A substance, such as agar, in which bacteria or other microorganisms are grown for scientific purposes.

A substance that makes possible the transfer of energy from one location to another, especially through waves. For example, matter of sufficient density can be a medium for sound waves, which transfer mechanical energy. See more at wave.

Idioms and Phrases with medium

medium

see happy medium.