medieval

[mee-dee-ee-vuh l, med-ee-, mid-ee-, mid-ee-vuh l] /ˌmi diˈi vəl, ˌmɛd i-, ˌmɪd i-, mɪdˈi vəl/

adjective

of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or in the style of the Middle Ages:

medieval architecture.

Compare Middle Ages.

Informal. extremely old-fashioned; primitive.

Also, mediaeval.

Origin

1820-30; < Neo-Latin medi(um) aev(um) the middle age + -al¹. See medium, age

Related forms

medievally, adverb

antimedieval, adjective

antimedievally, adverb

postmedieval, adjective

pseudomedieval, adjective

pseudomedievally, adverb

quasi-medieval, adjective

unmedieval, adjective

Examples from the web for medieval

Was the climate really hotter during medieval times?
We rented a medieval tower and toasted on top of it over Bologna at night.
Writers— ancient, medieval and modern— have never been able to arrive at a common answer to these questions.
Studying medieval literature seemed like a perfectly natural undertaking.
The medieval cathedral loomed above the city, almost sinister in its bulk.
She began to work as a historian, and she published a history of medieval Baku.
And the sea's silty, cold waters made visibility almost nonexistent for the intrepid few who wanted to explore the medieval ruins.
It would be a quick and easy test to trip up such a medieval contraption.
On his belt there are huge keys, of the size and shape that might open some medieval castle.
Quake, in that stifling summer, resembled a spooky medieval theme park still under construction.

British Dictionary definitions for medieval

medieval

/ˌmɛdɪˈiːvəl/

adjective

of, relating to, or in the style of the Middle Ages

(informal) old-fashioned; primitive

Derived Forms

medievally, mediaevally, adverb

Word Origin

C19: from New Latin medium aevum the middle age. See medium, age

Word Origin and History for medieval

adj.

1827, "pertaining to or suggestive of the Middle Ages," coined in English from Latin medium "the middle" (see medium (n.)) + aevum "age" (see eon).

medieval in Culture

medieval definition

A descriptive term for people, objects, events, and institutions of the Middle Ages.

Note: “Medieval” is sometimes used as a term of disapproval for outdated ideas and customs. It may suggest inhuman practices, such as torture of prisoners. (See Inquisition.)