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medium

Syllabification: (me·di·um)
Pronunciation: /ˈmēdēəm/

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Definition of medium

noun (plural media /-dēə/ or mediums)

  • 1an agency or means of doing something:using the latest technology as a medium for job creation their primitive valuables acted as a medium of exchange
  • a means by which something is communicated or expressed:here the Welsh language is the medium of instruction
  • 2the intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed to the senses or a force acts on objects at a distance:radio communication needs no physical medium between the two stations the medium between the cylinders is a vacuum
  • the substance in which an organism lives or is cultured:grow bacteria in a nutrient-rich medium
  • 3a particular form of storage for digitized information, such as magnetic tape or discs:moving or copying backed-up data through a hierarchy of different mediums
  • 4a liquid (e.g., oil or water) with which pigments are mixed to make paint.
  • the material or form used by an artist, composer, or writer:oil paint is the most popular medium for glazing
  • 5 (plural mediums) a person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead and to communicate between the dead and the living.
  • 6the middle quality or state between two extremes; a reasonable balance:you have to strike a happy medium between looking like royalty and looking like a housewife

adjective

  • about halfway between two extremes of size or another quality; average:John is six feet tall, of medium build medium-length hair
  • (of cooked meat) halfway between rare and well-done:I wanted my burger to be medium

Derivatives

mediumism

Pronunciation: /-ˌmizəm/

noun

mediumistic

Pronunciation: /ˌmēdēəˈmistik/

adjective

mediumship

Pronunciation: /-ˌSHip/

noun

Origin:

late 16th century (originally denoting something intermediate in nature or degree): from Latin, literally 'middle', neuter of medius

medium in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of medium in the British & World English dictionary