median

¹me·di·an

noun \ˈmē-dē-ən\

Definition of MEDIAN

1

: a medial part (as a vein or nerve)

2

a : a value in an ordered set of values below and above which there is an equal number of values or which is the arithmetic mean of the two middle values if there is no one middle number

b : a vertical line that divides the histogram of a frequency distribution into two parts of equal area

c : a value of a random variable for which all greater values make the cumulative distribution function greater than one half and all lesser values make it less than one half

3

a : a line from a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side

b : a line joining the midpoints of the nonparallel sides of a trapezoid

4

: median strip

Origin of MEDIAN

Middle English mediane, from Late Latin mediana (vena) median (vein), from feminine of Latin medianus in the middle, central, from medius middle — more at mid

First Known Use: 15th century

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

²median

adjective

Definition of MEDIAN

1

: being in the middle or in an intermediate position : medial

2

: lying in the plane dividing a bilateral animal into right and left halves

3

: relating to or constituting a statistical median

4

: produced without occlusion along the lengthwise middle line of the tongue

— me·di·an·ly adverb

Examples of MEDIAN

1. What is the median price of homes in this area?
2. <the median price of a home in the area>

Origin of MEDIAN

Latin medianus

First Known Use: 1592

Related to MEDIAN

Synonyms

average, intermediate, mean, middle, medium, middling, midsize (also midsized), moderate, modest

Antonyms

extreme, farthest, farthermost, furthermost, furthest, outermost, outmost, remotest, utmost

Related Words

reasonable; common, commonplace, conventional, normal, popular, regular, routine, standard, typical, usual; adequate, passable, tolerable

Near Antonyms

excessive, extreme; exceptional, rare, strange, uncommon, unusual; distinctive, idiosyncratic, special, unique; individual, peculiar, private