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Webster 1913 Edition

Medium

Me′di-um

,
Noun.
;
pl. L.
Media
(#)
,
E
.
Mediums
(#)
.
[L.
medium
the middle, fr.
medius
middle. See
Mid
, and cf.
Medius
.]
1.
That which lies in the middle, or between other things; intervening body or quantity.
Hence, specifically:
(a)
Middle place or degree; mean.
The just
medium
. . . lies between pride and abjection.
L’Estrange.
(b)
(Math.)
See
Mean
.
(c)
(Logic)
The mean or middle term of a syllogism; that by which the extremes are brought into connection.
2.
A substance through which an effect is transmitted from one thing to another;
as, air is the common
medium
of sound
.
Hence:
The condition upon which any event or action occurs; necessary means of motion or action; that through or by which anything is accomplished, conveyed, or carried on;
specifically,
in animal magnetism, spiritualism, etc., a person through whom the action of another being is said to be manifested and transmitted.
Whether any other liquors, being made
mediums
, cause a diversity of sound from water, it may be tried.
Bacon.
I must bring together
All these extremes; and must remove all
mediums
.
Denham.
3.
An average.
[R.]
A
medium
of six years of war, and six years of peace.
Burke.
4.
A trade name for printing and writing paper of certain sizes. See
Paper
.
5.
(Paint.)
The liquid vehicle with which dry colors are ground and prepared for application.
Circulating medium
,
a current medium of exchange, whether coin, bank notes, or government notes.
–
Ethereal medium
(Physics)
,
the ether.
–
Medium of exchange
,
that which is used for effecting an exchange of commodities – money or current representatives of money.

Me′di-um

,
Adj.
Having a middle position or degree; mean; intermediate; medial;
as, a horse of
medium
size; a decoction of
medium
strength.

Webster 1828 Edition

Medium

ME'DIUM

,
Noun.
plu.mediums; media not being generally, though sometimes used. [L.] In philosophy, the space or substance through which a body moves or passes to any point. Thus either is supposed to be the medium through which the planets move; air is the medium through which bodies move near the earth; water the medium in which fishes live and move; glass a medium through which light passes; and we speak of a resisting medium, a refracting medium, &c.
1.
In logic, the mean or middle term of a syllogism, or the middle term in an argument, being the reason why a thing is affirmed or denied.
Nothing can be honorable that violates moral principle.
Dueling violates moral principle.
Therefore dueling is not honorable.
Here the second term is the medium, mean, or middle term.
2.
Arithmetical medium, that which is equally distant from each extreme, or which exceeds the lesser extreme as much as it is exceeded by the greater, in respect of quantity, not of proportion. Thus, 9 is a medium between 6 and 12.
3.
Geometrical medium, is that wherein the same ratio is preserved between the first and second terms, as between the second and third. Thus, 6 is a geometrical medium between 4 and 9.
In the three last senses or applications, mean is more generally used for medium.
4.
The means or instrument by which any thing is accomplished, conveyed or carried on. Thus money is the medium of commerce; coin is the common medium of trade among all civilized nations, but wampum is the medium of trade among the Indian tribes, and bills of credit or bank notes are often used as mediums of trade in the place of gold and silver. Intelligence is communicated through the medium of the press.
5.
The middle place or degree; the mean.
The just medium of this case lies between pride and abjection.
6.
A kind of printing paper of middle size.

Definition 2024

Medium

Medium

See also: medium, médium, and mèdium

German

Noun

Medium n ‎(genitive Mediums, plural Medien)

  1. (usually in the plural) media, medium (format for communicating or presenting information)
  2. medium (the nature of the surrounding environment, e.g. solid, liquid, gas, vacuum or a specific substance)
  3. medium (someone who supposedly conveys information from the spirit world)

Derived terms

medium

medium

See also: Medium, médium, and mèdium

English

Noun

medium ‎(plural media or mediums)

  1. (plural media or mediums) The nature of the surrounding environment, e.g. solid, liquid, gas, vacuum, or a specific substance such as a solvent.
  2. (plural media or mediums) The materials or empty space through which signals, waves or forces pass.
    • Francis Bacon
      Whether any other liquors, being made mediums, cause a diversity of sound from water, it may be tried.
    • Denham
      I must bring together / All these extremes; and must remove all mediums.
  3. (plural media or mediums) A format for communicating or presenting information.
  4. (plural media or mediums, engineering) The materials used to finish a workpiece using a mass finishing or abrasive blasting process.
  5. (plural media or mediums, microbiology) A nutrient solution for the growth of cells in vitro.
    • 1996, Samuel Baron (editor), Medical Microbiology:
      In some instances one can take advantage of differential carbohydrate fermentation capabilities of microorganisms by incorporating one or more carbohydrates in the medium along with a suitable pH indicator. Such media are called differential media (e.g., eosin methylene blue or MacConkey agar) and are commonly used to isolate enteric bacilli.
  6. (plural media or mediums) The means, channel, or agency by which an aim is achieved.
  7. (plural mediums or media) A liquid base which carries pigment in paint.
  8. (plural mediums or media, painting) A tool used for painting or drawing.
    Acrylics, oils, charcoal and gouache are all mediums I used in my painting.
  9. (plural mediums, spiritualism) Someone who supposedly conveys information from the spirit world.
  10. (plural mediums) Anything having a measurement intermediate between extremes, such as a garment or container.
  11. (plural mediums) A person whom garments or apparel of intermediate size fit.
  12. (plural mediums, Ireland, dated, informal) A half-pint serving of Guinness (or other stout in some regions).
  13. A middle place or degree.
    a happy medium
    • L'Estrange
      The just medium […] lies between pride and abjection.
  14. (dated) An average; sometimes the mathematical mean.
    • Burke
      a medium of six years of war, and six years of peace
  15. (logic) The mean or middle term of a syllogism, that by which the extremes are brought into connection.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

medium ‎(not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Arithmetically average.
  2. Of intermediate size, degree, amount etc.
  3. Of meat, cooked to a point greater than rare but less than well done; typically, so the meat is still red in the centre.

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:intermediate

Related terms

Translations

Adverb

medium ‎(comparative more medium, superlative most medium)

  1. to a medium extent

Synonyms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: o' · eight · modern · #840: medium · ill · eat · et

References

    Danish

    Etymology

    From Latin medium.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /meːdiɔm/, [ˈmeːˀd̥jɔm]

    Noun

    medium or medie n ‎(singular definite mediet, plural indefinite medier)

    1. medium

    Inflection

    Adjective

    medium ‎(neuter medium, e-form medium)

    1. medium

    Latin

    Pronunciation

    • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈme.di.um/, [ˈmɛ.di.ũ]

    Adjective

    medium

    1. inflection of medius:
      1. masculine accusative singular
      2. neuter nominative singular
      3. neuter accusative singular
      4. neuter vocative singular

    Noun

    medium n ‎(genitive mediī); second declension

    1. middle, center, medium, midst
    2. community, public, publicity

    Inflection

    Second declension.

    Case Singular Plural
    nominative medium media
    genitive mediī mediōrum
    dative mediō mediīs
    accusative medium media
    ablative mediō mediīs
    vocative medium media

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    Noun

    medium

    1. accusative singular of medius
    2. genitive singular of medius

    References

    • medium in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
    • medium in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
    • MEDIUM in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
    • Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
      • (ambiguous) the Mediterranean Sea: mare medium or internum
      • (ambiguous) the middle ages: media quae vocatur aetas
      • (ambiguous) manhood: aetas constans, media, firmata, corroborata (not virilis)
      • (ambiguous) to remove a person: e or de medio tollere
      • (ambiguous) to become known, become a topic of common conversation (used of things): foras efferri, palam fieri, percrebrescere, divulgari, in medium proferri, exire, emanare
      • (ambiguous) to leave a thing undecided: aliquid in medio, in dubio relinquere (Cael. 20. 48)
      • (ambiguous) elevated, moderate, plain style: genus dicendi grave or grande, medium, tenue (cf. Or. 5. 20; 6. 21)
      • (ambiguous) to bring a subject forward into discussion: in medium proferre aliquid
      • (ambiguous) to publish, make public: in medio ponere (proponere)
      • (ambiguous) to break off in the middle of the conversation: medium sermonem abrumpere (Verg. Aen. 4. 388)
      • (ambiguous) to be neutral: medium esse
      • (ambiguous) to be neutral: medium se gerere
      • (ambiguous) the centre of the marching column: agmen medium (Liv. 10. 41)
      • (ambiguous) the centre: media acies
      • (ambiguous) let us leave that undecided: hoc in medio relinquamus

    Norwegian Bokmål

    Etymology

    From Latin medium

    Noun

    medium n ‎(definite singular mediet, indefinite plural medier, definite plural media or mediene)

    1. a medium (also in spiritualism)

    References

    Norwegian Nynorsk

    Etymology

    From Latin medium

    Noun

    medium n ‎(definite singular mediet, indefinite plural medium, definite plural media)

    1. a medium (also in spiritualism)

    References

    Swedish

    Noun

    medium n

    1. a medium, a middle part in communication, a substance useful for communication (e.g. aether), a spiritual connection

    Declension

    Related terms

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈmeːdi̯ʊm/

    Similar Results