Median

1 of 6

noun (1)

Me·​di·​an ˈmē-dē-ən 

: the Iranian language of ancient Media

median

2 of 6

noun (2)

me·​di·​an ˈmē-dē-ən 

1

: a medial (see medial sense 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 sense 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 sense 1a)

4

: median strip

median

3 of 6

adjective

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

media

4 of 6

noun (3)

me·​dia ˈmē-dē-ə 

plural medias

often attributive

1

a

singular or plural in construction : mass media

b

medias plural : members of the mass media (such as news outlets)

2

: a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression

Air is a media that conveys sound.

especially : medium sense 2a

Is media singular or plural?: Usage Guide

The singular media and its plural medias seem to have originated in the field of advertising over 70 years ago; they are still so used without stigma in that specialized field. In most other applications media is used as a plural of medium. The popularity of the word in references to the agencies of mass communication is leading to the formation of a mass noun, construed as a singular.

there's no basis for it. You know, the news media gets on to something

—Edwin Meese 3d

the media is less interested in the party's policies

—James Lewis, Guardian Weekly

This use is not as well established as the mass-noun use of data and is likely to incur criticism especially in writing.

media

5 of 6

noun (4)

me·​dia ˈmē-dē-ə 

plural mediae ˈmē-dē-ˌē 

1

[Late Latin, from Latin, feminine of medius; from the voiced stops' being regarded as intermediate between the tenues and the aspirates] : a voiced (see voiced sense 2) stop (see stop entry 2 sense 1b)

2

[New Latin, from Latin] : the middle coat of the wall of a blood or lymph (see lymph sense 2) vessel consisting chiefly of circular muscle fibers

media

6 of 6

plural of medium

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?

Synonyms of Median

Adjective

• average

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of Median in a Sentence

Adjective

What is the median price of homes in this area?

the median price of a home in the area

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The distance between $167,970 and $44,115 is the architecture of American inequality, expressed in retirement savings data—a small cohort of high-balance savers dragging the average skyward while the rest of the country lives in the median. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026

As a result, a household earning the median would have to commit roughly 40% or more of its monthly gross income to its mortgage to live in Fort Worth. —Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 June 2026

Adjective

Today, the resort city consistently ranks as one of the most expensive in Southern California with a median home price of more than $3 million. —Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026

The median household income in Sammamish is $238,750. —Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 June 2026

Noun

So media outlets from across England and the world had convened to devour the scene of his arrival, only to be consumed themselves by the pure spectacle Mourinho generated. —Jack Holmes, Vanity Fair, 23 June 2026

The creator economy is reaching new milestones as the world’s leading creators set a new standard for the media business through the power of social media, showcasing its impact on a larger scale. —Forbes Press Releases, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

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

Adjective

Latin medianus — see median entry 1

Noun (3)

plural of medium

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1813, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (4)

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Median

• median nerve
• median strip

Rhymes for Median

• comedian
• submedian
• paramedian

Kids Definition

median

1 of 2 noun

me·​di·​an ˈmēd-ē-ən 

1

: 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 and the median of the set 2, 5, 7, 15 is 6

2

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

median

2 of 2 adjective

1

: being in the middle or in an intermediate position

2

: relating to or making up a median

Etymology

Noun

from Latin mediana vena "median vein (a large vein in the arm)," from earlier Latin medianus "being in the middle," from medius "middle" — related to intermediate, mean entry 3, meridian

Medical Definition

median

1 of 2 noun

me·​di·​an ˈmēd-ē-ən 

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

median

2 of 2 adjective

: situated in the middle

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

Geographical Definition

Media

geographical name

Me·​dia ˈmē-dē-ə 

ancient country and province of the Persian Empire in the northwestern part of modern Iran

Median

ˈmē-dē-ən 

adjective or noun