me|di|um

me|di|um «MEE dee uhm», adjective, noun, plural -di|ums or (also for 2, 3, and 4) -di|a.

–adj.

having a middle position, quality, or condition; moderate: »

Eggs can be cooked hard, soft, or medium. Five feet eight inches is a medium height for a man. A medium frequency is intermediate between the high and low frequencies.

–n.

1. something that is in the middle; neither one extreme nor the other; middle conditio»

a happy medium between city and country life.

2. a substance or agent through which anything acts or an effect is produced; a means: »

Copper wire is a medium of electric transmission. Television and radio are media of communication. A newspaper is a medium of communication and also an advertising medium. Waves behave differently when they move from one medium to another ... or when other waves are also present in the medium (L. Wallace Dean). A negotiation was opened through the medium of the ambassador, Sam (Charlotte Brontë).

3. a substance in which something can live; environment: »

Water is the natural medium in which most fish live.

4. a) a nutritive substance, either liquid or solid, such as agar-agar or gelatin, in or upon which bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms are grown for study; culture medium. b) a substance used for displaying, or preserving organic specimens.

5. a) a liquid with which pigments are mixed for painting. b) a type of painting: »

His best medium is oil painting.

6. a person through whom messages from the spirits of the dead are supposedly sent to the living.

╂[< Latin medium, neuter, middle]

Usage The plural is always mediums in the sense of def. 6, and also in that of def. 1, although in this sense the plural rarely occurs. In other senses both mediums and media are used, but media is more common in technical and scientific work.