median

noun me·di·an \ ˈmē-dē-ən \

Definition of median

1 :a medial (see medial 2b) part (such 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 (see vertex 2) of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side

b :a line joining the midpoints of the nonparallel sides of a trapezoid (see trapezoid 1a)

4 :median strip

See median defined for English-language learners

See median defined for kids

Recent Examples of median from the Web

Most cannabis consumers who come to the hospital with CVS symptoms smoke heavily and daily—three to five times per day, at a median of 15 to 16 years, says Glatter.

— katie heaney, The Atlantic, "Will Smoking Pot Make Me Vomit Forever?," 30 Aug. 2017
According to the third-quarter rent report from Abodo, the nationwide median decreased between July and August.

— shannon rooney, Philly.com, "Philly apartment rent climbs as price drops nationally," 8 Aug. 2017
Near the entrance, the center median and parkways are planted in hybrid Washingtonia palms, mounding red Bougainvillea ‘

— nan sterman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Stunning streetscapes are inspiration for gardeners," 3 Aug. 2017
Prosecutors say Jones was traveling at a high rate of speed and lost control, crossed over the center median and entered southbound lanes.

— toriano porter, kansascity, "Man with history of DWI accused of causing fatal I-435 wreck," 27 July 2017
In 2010, the median funding of PIs in the top 10% was $1.45 million per PI, whereas the median funding of PIs in the bottom 40% was $140,000 per investigator.

— maggie kuo, Science | AAAS, "Relatively few NIH grantees get lion’s share of agency’s funding," 18 July 2017
However, city officials will allow the Public Works Department to continue using the weed killer from Monsanto on sidewalks, alleys and street medians.

— anthony clark carpio, Burbank Leader, "Burbank to discontinue using Roundup in city parks for a year," 13 July 2017
The $38.2 million project to widen Colleyville Boulevard to six lanes with a center median from John McCain Road to Brown Trail started in November and will take another two years to complete.

— nicholas sakelaris, star-telegram, "Colleyville officials urge patience as massive Colleyville Road project unfolds," 3 July 2017
Still, even with the uptick in Idaho’s median age that influx caused, to just over 36 years, that was below the overall U.S. median of just below 38 years.

— bill dentzer, idahostatesman, "Idaho’s 65 and over population is booming. That’s going to cost us all more, but pay us more, too.," 2 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'median.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

People often use the word average without realizing that there are two common forms of average. Suppose you want to find the average net worth of a group of people—that is, the average value of everything they possess. To find one type of average, called the mean, you'd simply add up the total value of money and property of everyone in the group and divide it by the number of people. To find the other type, called the median, you'd identify the net worth of the person who is richer than half the people and poorer than the other half. So if Warren Buffett drove through a tiny village in India, the mean net worth of those in the village would suddenly rise to perhaps a billion dollars, but their median net worth would remain close to zero. Which figure would be more meaningful?

Origin and Etymology 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of median

average, mean, median, norm mean something that represents a middle point. average is the quotient obtained by dividing the sum total of a set of figures by the number of figures.

- scored an average of 85 on tests

mean may be the simple average or it may represent value midway between two extremes.

- a high of 70° and a low of 50° give a mean of 60°

median applies to the value that represents the point at which there are as many instances above as there are below.

- average of a group of persons earning 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10 dollars an hour is 6 dollars, whereas the median is 5 dollars

norm means the average of performance of a significantly large group, class, or grade.

- scores about the norm for fifth grade arithmetic

Other Anatomy Terms

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

median

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

—

medianly

adverb

See median defined for English-language learners

Examples of median in a Sentence

What is the median price of homes in this area?
the median price of a home in the area

Recent Examples of median from the Web

The median UW grad made $57,300 early career and $108,800 mid-career.

— jon talton, The Seattle Times, "To make really big bucks, don’t go to college in Washington," 29 Aug. 2017
The city is one of the most expensive in Virginia for rental housing, and the median rent here has risen by 3.4 percent in the past year, according to data compiled by The Daily Progress.

— john eligon, New York Times, "In Charlottesville, Some Say Statue Debate Obscures a Deep Racial Split," 18 Aug. 2017
Previously best known for being home to the Santa Anita racetrack, Arcadia is currently enjoying notoriety as a place where the median listing price has climbed to $1.5 million in the past five years.

— scott garner, Town & Country, "How Arcadia, California Became the Next Calabasas," 9 Aug. 2017
And the proposals were projected to increase rates in particular for older Americans, a particular problem for Maine, where the median age of 43 is the oldest in the country.

— emmarie huetteman, Alaska Dispatch News, "The 3 Republican women who doomed a Senate repeal of the health law," 19 July 2017
In neighborhoods where median incomes fell below $26,000 a year, the researchers saw home values appreciate 6.5 percent within a tenth of a mile of the housing development.

— tracy jan, chicagotribune.com, "Affordable housing in black neighborhoods can lead to greater racial and income integration, study finds," 7 July 2017
The June reading, the second-highest of the year, beat a median forecast of 51.1 by economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.

— WSJ, "China Manufacturing Gauge Strengthens on Growing Global Demand," 30 June 2017
Foreign investors will hold 1 trillion yuan of onshore bonds at the end of this year, according to the median estimate, up from 830 billion yuan at the end of March and 853 billion yuan at the close of 2016.

— Bloomberg.com, "China Corporate Bond Sales to Rise Next Quarter, Survey Says," 29 June 2017
Since early 2015, Foster City’s median home value has increased 13% to a record $1.5 million, more than seven times the national average.

— liam dillon, www.latimes.com, "California lawmakers have tried for 50 years to fix the state's housing crisis. Here's why they've failed," 29 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of median

Latin medianus — see ¹median

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1592

See Words from the same year

median Synonyms

Synonyms

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

MEDIAN Defined for English Language Learners

median

noun

Definition of median for English Language Learners

mathematics : the middle value in a series of values arranged from smallest to largest

median

adjective

Definition of median for English Language Learners

: in the middle; especially mathematics : having a value that is in the middle of a series of values arranged from smallest to largest

MEDIAN Defined for Kids

median

noun me·di·an \ ˈmē-dē-ən \

Definition of median for Students

:a value in a series arranged from smallest to largest below and above which there are an equal number of values or which is the average of the two middle values if there is no one middle value

The median of the set 1, 3, 7, 12, 19 is 7.

Medical Dictionary

median

noun me·di·an \ ˈmēd-ē-ən \

medical 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