medial

adjective

me·​di·​al ˈmē-dē-əl 

1

: mean, average

2

a

: being or occurring in the middle

b

: extending toward the middle

especially : lying or extending toward the median axis of the body

3

: situated between the extremes of initial and final in a word or morpheme

medial noun

medially

ˈmē-dē-ə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• central
• halfway
• intermediary
• intermediate
• median
• mediate
• medium
• mid
• middle
• midmost

Example Sentences

four is the medial number between one and seven

Recent Examples on the Web

Missouri, where medial marijuana has been legal since 2018, also has nearly three times as many licensed cultivation sites, and allows anyone 21 or older to grow at home, while Illinois only allows medical cannabis patients to grow their own weed. —Robert Mccoppin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023

To perform, stand on a balance board or wobble board with one fulcrum of movement (medial to lateral or anterior to posterior). —Dr. Rachel Tavel, Pt, Dpt, Men's Health, 16 Feb. 2023

Last year, a record 19 people died in San Diego County jail custody, and a 20th person who had been long hospitalized died shortly after he was released for medial reasons. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2023

The Ohio Senate is considering a bill that would expand medial marijuana for any conditions that physicians, at their discretion and medical opinion, determine are debilitating to a patient. —cleveland, 27 Jan. 2023

Researchers have discovered that music is a uniquely powerful trigger for memory retrieval, because of the way it’s processed in a region of the brain called the medial prefrontal cortex. —Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, 18 Nov. 2022

The medial temporal lobe subsystem: thinking about things that happen, or episodic processes. —Tim Vernimmen, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2022

There are two heads to the muscle, the lateral head which sits on the outside of the lower leg and the medial head that sits on the inside of the leg. —David Otey, Men's Health, 14 Dec. 2022

This is done when the treating physician is sure that the pain is coming from these particular nerves, called the lumbar medial branch nerves. —Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 21 Nov. 2022

See More

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin medialis, from Latin medius

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing medial

• medial collateral ligament

• medial collateral ligament

Kids Definition

medial

adjective

me·​di·​al ˈmēd-ē-əl 

1

: median entry 2 sense 1

2

: ordinary entry 2 sense 2, average

medially

-ə-lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

medial

adjective

me·​di·​al ˈmēd-ē-əl 

1

: lying or extending in the middle

especially, of a body part : lying or extending toward the median axis of the body

the medial surface of the tibia

2

: of or relating to the media of a blood vessel

necrosis and lipid deposition with medial involvement

medially

-ə-lē 

adverb