medium

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medium

/ˈmiː.di.əm/

Rhymes with -iːdiəm

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin medium, neuter of medius (“middle”), from Proto-Italic *meðjos, from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (“between”). Compare middle. Doublet of mid, medio, media, and meson.

noun media · mediums

The material of the surrounding environment, e.g. solid, liquid, gas, vacuum, or a specific substance such as a solvent.
The materials or empty space through which signals, waves, or forces pass. VVhether any other Liquours, being made Mediums, cauſe a Diuerſity of Sound from Water, it may bee tried: […]
A format for communicating or presenting information. [A]t all events, she drank in with eager ear, and admiring mind, anecdote and history of all those excellent traits of disposition, and nobleness of conduct, which made him the idol of his describer, and gave her a knowledge of his temper and character, and the manner in which his boyhood and youth
Similar: vehicle
A nutrient substance, commonly a solution or solid, for the growth of cells in vitro. 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 a
usually A substance, structure, or environment in which living organisms subsist, grow or are cultured. The density of the living medium of fishes exerts upon them a mechanical influence; they are, so to say, balanced in water, free to proceed in all planes of direction...
A means, channel, agency or go-between through which communication, commerce, etc is conveyed or carried on, or by which an aim is achieved. Cable TV is an inexpensive advertising medium.
The materials used to finish a workpiece using a mass finishing or abrasive blasting process.
countable A liquid base which carries pigment in paint.
A means of expression, in the arts, such as a material (oil, pastel, clay, etc) or method or style (expressionism, jazz, etc). Acrylics, oils, charcoal, and gouache are all mediums I used in my painting.
countable The mean or middle term of a syllogism, that by which the extremes are brought into connection.
countable Someone who conveys information from the spirit world. The hall was not too well lit and dark shadows lurked in the corners. The medium still bent her head as if her ears were straining.
countable A middle place or degree. a happy medium
countable, dated An average; sometimes the mathematical mean. The number of Britiſh ſhips annually arriving in our ports vvas reduced to 1756 ſail, containing 92.559 tons, on a medium of the ſix years vvar, compared vvith the ſix years of peace preceding it.
Anything of a middle rank or position. Cavalry […] is divided into mediums, heavies, and light cavalry.

noun mediums

especially, noun from verb, uncountable One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a large but larger than a small.
Similar: M
countable, especially, noun from verb An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
countable, especially, noun from verb, with respect to clothing One who fits an item of that size.
Ireland, countable, dated, informal, noun from verb A half-pint serving of Guinness (or other stout in some regions).

adjective

not comparable, noun from verb, obsolete Arithmetically average.
not comparable, noun from verb Of intermediate size, degree, amount etc.
not comparable, noun from verb Of meat, cooked to a point greater than rare but less than well done; typically, so the meat is still red in the centre.
especially, not comparable, noun from verb That is medium (the manufactured size).

adverb

not comparable, noun from verb To a medium extent.
Similar: mediumly

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: intermediate, metier, average, spiritualist, culture medium, moderate, cooked, landscape, environment, milieu, central, long, intermedia, half, device, fluid

Translations

Every language

noun nature of the surrounding environment

Español	medio
हिन्दी	माध्यम mādhyam
Português	meio
Français	milieu
Deutsch	Medium
Italiano	veicolo, mezzo, strumento, tramite
Română	mediu
Русский	среда́ sredá
עברית	תָּוֶךְ távekh

noun material or empty space through which signals, waves or forces pass

हिन्दी	माध्यम mādhyam
Français	médium, support
Deutsch	Medium
Italiano	veicolo, mezzo, strumento, tramite
Română	mediu
Русский	среда́ sredá
עברית	תָּוֶךְ távekh

noun format for communicating or presenting information

Español	medio, vehículo
中文	媒體 /媒体 méitǐ
हिन्दी	माध्यम mādhyam
Português	meio
Français	médium, média
Deutsch	Medium
Română	mijloc
Русский	среда́ sredá
עברית	אֶמְצָעִי emtsaí

noun nutrient solution for the growth of cells in vitro

Español	mitad
Português	médio, meio
Français	milieu
Italiano	mezzo
Русский	среда́ sredá

noun means, channel or agency by which an aim is achieved

हिन्दी	माध्यम mādhyam
Português	mediador
Română	mijloc
Русский	носи́тель nosítelʹ, сре́дство srédstvo
עברית	אֶמְצָעִי emtzaí, מְתַוֵּךְ metavéch

noun painting: tool or materials used for painting or drawing

中文	媒介 méijiè
Italiano	veicolo, mezzo, strumento, tramite

noun logic: middle term of a syllogism

Português	médio

noun someone who supposedly conveys information from the spirit world

Español	médium
日本語	霊媒 reibai
中文	靈媒 /灵媒 língméi
Português	médium
Français	médium
Deutsch	Medium
Italiano	medium
Română	medium
Русский	ме́диум médium
עברית	מְתַוֵּךְ metavéch, מֶדְיוּם médyum

noun average; sometimes the mathematical mean

Português	média
Română	medie

noun the size medium

Português	médio

noun item of the size medium

Français	moyen

noun person who fits medium items

עברית	מֶדְיוּם médyum

adj of intermediate size

Español	mediano, medio
中文	中型 zhōngxíng
Português	médio
Français	moyen
Deutsch	mittelgroß
Italiano	medio
Ελληνικά	μέσος mésos, μέτριος métrios
Română	mediu, mijlociu
Русский	сре́дний srédnij
العربية	مُتَوَسِّط mutawassiṭ
עברית	בֵּינוֹנִי bēnoní

adj cooked lightly

中文	五成熟 wǔchéngshú, 五分熟 wǔfēnshú
Português	no ponto, ao ponto
Français	demi-anglais

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Cite this

MLA

"medium." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/medium. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

medium. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/medium

Chicago

"medium." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/medium.

BibTeX

@misc{medium_2026,
  title = {medium},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/medium},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}