medium

[mee-dee-uh m] /ˈmi di əm/
noun, plural media
[mee-dee-uh] /ˈmi di ə/ (Show IPA), for 1–9, 11, mediums for 1–11, 14.
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 cm) in England, 18 × 23 to 19 × 25 inches (46 × 58 to 48 × 64 cm) in America.
13.
Chiefly British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 17½ × 22 inches (44 × 56 cm).
14.
Also called medium strip. Midland U.S. median strip.
15.
in medium, Movies, Television. with the principal actors in the middle distance:
The scene was shot in medium.
adjective
16.
about halfway between extremes, as of degree, amount, quality, position, or size:
Cook over medium heat. He is of medium height.
Origin
1575-85; < Latin: the middle, noun use of neuter of medius middle. See mid1
Can be confused
media, median, medium, mediums (see usage note at media)
Synonyms
16. average, mean, middling.
Usage note
7. See media1.
Examples from the web for medium
  • There has never been any valid way of making esthetic connections by medium alone.
  • Select easy, medium or difficult.
  • They were specially built for the medium-price car buyer who wants more than the usual a whole lot more.
  • They will be green, and will have two antennas, with two arms and medium-big feet.
  • Light is a wonderful medium for carrying information.
  • The medium has matured, surely.
  • Cut five medium-sized cold boiled sweet potatoes in one-third inch slices.
  • Place over medium-high heat and let sit until edges start to brown.
  • Does this mean the internet has matured as a medium?
  • In the medium term, not all effects are negative.
British Dictionary definitions for medium

medium

/ˈmiːdɪəm/
adjective
1.
midway between extremes; average: a medium size
2.
(of a colour) reflecting or transmitting a moderate amount of light: a medium red Compare light1 (sense 29), dark (sense 2)
noun (pl) -dia (-dɪə), -diums
3.
an intermediate or middle state, degree, or condition; mean: the happy medium
4.
an intervening substance or agency for transmitting or producing an effect; vehicle: air is a medium for sound
5.
a means or agency for communicating or diffusing information, news, etc, to the public: television is a powerful medium
6.
a person supposedly used as a spiritual intermediary between the dead and the living
7.
the substance in which specimens of animals and plants are preserved or displayed
8.
(biology) short for culture medium
9.
the substance or surroundings in which an organism naturally lives or grows
10.
(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
11.
any solvent in which pigments are mixed and thinned
12.
any one of various sizes of writing or printing paper, esp 181/2 by 231/2 inches or 171/2 by 22 inches (small medium)
See also mediums
media1
Word Origin
C16: from Latin: neuter singular of medius middle
Word Origin and History for medium
n.

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 me·di·um (mē'dē-əm)
n. pl. me·di·ums or me·di·a (-dē-ə)

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

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

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

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

  5. A culture medium.

  6. 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

  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. See more at wave.


Idioms and Phrases with medium

medium

see: happy medium