I. me ‧ di ‧ um 1 S3 AC /ˈmiːdiəm/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . of middle size, level, or amount:
What size shirt does he wear – small, medium or large?
(of) medium height/length/build
She’s of medium height.
hair of medium length
Fry the onions over a medium heat until they are golden.
medium to large companies
► Use average , not ‘medium’, when you want to say that someone’s level of skill or ability is neither high nor low : students of average ability (NOT students of medium ability)
2 . ( also medium rare ) meat that is medium or medium rare is partly cooked but still slightly pink inside ⇨ rare , well-done
3 . medium dry medium dry wine is slightly sweeter than dry wine
4 . medium brown/blue etc a colour which is neither light nor dark:
His jacket’s a medium brown colour.
II. medium 2 AC BrE AmE noun ( plural media /-diə/ or mediums ) [countable]
1 . a way of communicating information and news to people, such as newspapers, television etc ⇨ media :
Advertising is a powerful medium.
2 . a way of expressing your ideas, especially as a writer or an artist
medium for
the novel as a medium for satire
the visual media (=painting and films)
3 . medium of instruction a language that is used for teaching:
English is still the main medium of instruction in Nigeria.
4 . medium of exchange money or other ways of paying for things
5 . technical a substance or material in which things grow or exist:
a good growing medium for tomatoes
6 . technical a substance through which a force travels
⇨ ↑ magnetic media , ⇨ a happy medium at ↑ happy (8)
III. medium 3 BrE AmE noun ( plural mediums ) [countable]
someone who claims to have the power to receive messages from dead people