medium

American  

[mee-dee-uhm] / ˈmi di əm /

noun

• media,
  plural
• mediums
  plural

1. a middle state or condition; mean.

2. something intermediate in nature or degree.

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

4. the element that is the natural habitat of an organism.

5. surrounding objects, conditions, or influences; environment.

6. an intervening agency, means, or instrument by which something is conveyed or accomplished.

   Words are a medium of expression.

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

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

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

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

11. Fine Arts.

    1. Painting. a liquid with which pigments are mixed.

    2. the material or technique with which an artist works.

       the medium of watercolor.

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

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

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

15. Movies, Television. in medium, with the principal actors in the middle distance.

    The scene was shot in medium.

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adjective

1. about halfway between extremes, as of degree, amount, quality, position, or size.

   Cook over medium heat. He is of medium height.

   Synonyms:

   middling, mean, average

medium British  

/ ˈmiːdɪəm /

adjective

1. midway between extremes; average

   a medium size

2. (of a colour) reflecting or transmitting a moderate amount of light Compare light 1 dark

   a medium red

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noun

1. an intermediate or middle state, degree, or condition; mean

   the happy medium

2. an intervening substance or agency for transmitting or producing an effect; vehicle

   air is a medium for sound

3. a means or agency for communicating or diffusing information, news, etc, to the public

   television is a powerful medium

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

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

6. biology short for culture medium

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

8. art

   1. the category of a work of art, as determined by its materials and methods of production

      the medium of wood engraving

   2. the materials used in a work of art

9. any solvent in which pigments are mixed and thinned

10. 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 )

medium Scientific  

/ mē′dē-əm /

• media
  plural

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

2. 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.

3. See more at wave

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medium Idioms  

1. see happy medium.

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Usage

See media ¹.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• media
  plural
• mediums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of medium

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin: “the middle,” noun use of neuter of medius “middle”; see mid ¹

Explanation

Think of the word medium as something in between. In clothing, we have small, medium, and large; in communications, it's what signals travel through from broadcast to receiver; and in spiritual terms, it’s a person who converses with the dead. The word medium — from the Latin adjective medius, "middle" — has several meanings that all center on the idea of being in between. From the air that carries the broadcast signal, to the person who transmits messages from the dead, to the measurement of the "doneness" of your steak, medium means something that lies between two other points, people, or levels.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

medium media mediums

Digital journalism is as subject to fads as any other medium.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

The Brussels-Manila deal aims to deliver new opportunities for businesses—especially small and medium firms—more jobs, and stronger supply chains at a time when resilience has become a strategic priority.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

These salts perform two jobs at once, acting as both the reaction medium and the catalyst that drives the chemical conversion.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

When the system was checked, Anderson's score was 27, indicating a medium likelihood of reoffending, rather than 32, which had been recorded as a high likelihood in the decision letter.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

They used to have regular meeting privately and Katie was the medium.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Until now, the case has been watertight, with no media leaks from any of the parties involved.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

In 2023 the death of an aging panda at the Memphis Zoo and the poor appearance of another set off social media complaints in China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Let’s be very clear on this one point,” John Delaney, a former Democratic member of Congress, wrote on social media.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Matthew Stamm, a media forensics expert at Drexel University, told AFP his analysis of the image using specialized software "identified traces left by generative AI with high confidence."

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

In the coming months, the media reprinted and rehashed each other’s old stories, and ran speculative tales about the frozen northlands.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The team had split the drivers' tyre strategies - Kimi Antonelli took the conventional strategy and started on the mediums, Russell had gone for the hards.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The timing of the VSC was very unfortunate for those who started on hard tyres because it coincided with the pit-stop window for those on mediums.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

“I love the opportunity of learning new mediums and being able to explore my feelings and my history through my work.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Yes, he was so wedded to it, this idea that different, new mediums liberate the ones that come before.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

His contribution—detailing an encounter when two souls had arrived at once— used a variety of mediums: berry pulp, bone slivers, feathers, sap.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• channel
• form
• instrument
• mechanism
• tool
• vehicle