mediumn.adj.
/ˈmiːdɪəm/, U.S. /ˈmidiəm/ A. n.
I. Something which is intermediate between two degrees, amounts, qualities, or classes; a middle state.† 1. A geometric or arithmetic mean; an average. Obsolete.† 2. Logic. The middle term of a syllogism; a ground of proof or inference. Cf. middle term n. 2. Obsolete.
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the world > relative properties > number > arithmetic or algebraic operations > [noun] > mean
meanc1450
medium1573
mediety1598
mediocrity1726
arithmetical mean1798
arithmetic mean1866
root-mean-square1895
mid-range1902
1573–4 in N. S. B. Gras Evol. Eng. Corn Market (1915) 450 What mediam have you made of the price of the severall sorte of the said corne.
1612 J. Davies Discouerie Causes Ireland 39 The reuenew..did not rise vnto 10000. li. per annum, though the Medium be taken of the best seauen years.
1638 Bp. J. Wilkins Discov. New World (1707) iii. 30 Betwixt two Extreams there can be but one Medium.
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Arithm. (1690) 55 At a medium I reckon that the whole Fleet must be Men of three or four years growth.
1729 J. Swift Modest Proposal 7 I have reckoned upon a Medium, that a Child just born will weigh 12 pounds.
1731 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. (ed. 2) II. (at cited word) Arithmetical Medium, is that which is equally distant from each extreme.
1788 Ld. Auckland Corr. (1861) II. 84 The medium of the thermometer continues here at about 70°.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §113 The medium of half an inch on a side.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India I. ii. i. 94 Only thirty-three years, at a medium, are assigned to a reign.
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the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical syllogism > [noun] > middle term
medium1587
mean1599
middle term1605
argument1724
middle1826
1587 D. Fenner Def. Godlie Ministers sig. Iiiiv Let him..conclude the Apostles question, with his medium, argument, and reason.
1630 T. Randolph Aristippus in Wks. (1875) 19 Your drinking is syllogism, where a pottle is the major terminus, and a pint the minor, a quart the medium.
1641 ‘Smectymnuus’ Vindic. Answer Hvmble Remonstr. v. 61 This we evinced by foure mediums out of Scripture.
1751 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) XIV. 168 An equivocal medium proves nothing.
1758 J. Dalrymple Ess. Hist. Feudal Prop. (ed. 2) iv. 147 They had refused to subject estates tail to forfeiture, and on this medium, that who cannot alienate cannot forfeit.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India III. vi. i. 33 To trace the media of proof from one link to another..is not, say the lawyers, the way to justice.
3. † b. A middle course, a compromise. Obsolete.† c. Moderation. Obsolete.
a. More generally: a middle quality, degree, or condition. Formerly also: †something (occasionally someone) intermediate in nature, degree, or position (obsolete). †in a medium: intermediate (between) (obsolete). Now rare except in happy medium n. at happy adj. and n. Compounds 3.
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the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > condition of being mean or average > [noun] > mean
middlingOE
middlelOE
meanc1450
neutralityc1475
moyen1484
temper?1523
mediety1573
medium1593
temperature1598
temperament1604
intermedial1605
median1635
intermediate1650
average1737
middle term1754
mesne1821
intermediacy1836
intermediary1865
1593 Tell-Trothes New-yeares Gift (1876) 29 There is no concorde betweene water and fire, nor any medium betweene loue and hatred.
1618 E. Elton Complaint Sanctified Sinner xviii. 362 There is no medium: no middle nor indifferent state and condition betweene these two.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §293 This Appetite is in a Medium between the other two.
1651 J. French Art Distillation v. 111 A saltish slime, and in tast..a Medium betwixt salt, and Nitre.
1652 W. Blith Eng. Improver Improved To Husbandman sig. e3 There is a Medium in all things.
1663 J. Heath Flagellum (ed. 2) Pref. I place and reckon this Cromwell as a Medium or Mean, betwixt..Wallenstein..and Thomas Anello.
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 12/1 That the Inhabitants may not be obliged to pass out of a cold Place into a hot one, without a Medium of temperate Air.
1752 J. Gill Doctr. Trinity (ed. 2) vi. 116 Between God and a creature there is no medium.
a1770 J. Jortin Serm. (1772) VII. vi. 108 There is a medium between frantic zeal and sinful compliance.
1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music Recitative, a species of musical recitation forming the medium between air and rhetorical declamation.
1811 Ld. Byron Hints from Horace lvii Poesy between the best and worst No medium knows.
1869 C. H. Spurgeon John Ploughman's Talk 28 There is a medium in all things, only blockheads go to extremes.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > compromise > [noun] > instance of
midsc1485
temper?1523
composition1597
temperature1598
temperament1604
medium1719
compromise1797
come-between1877
trade-off1909
wash1976
a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Custome of Countrey ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Bb/2 Is no medium left, But that I must protect the murderer Or suffer in that faith he made his Altar?
1703 tr. H. van Oosten Dutch Gardener iv. xi. 221 'Tis in vain to..endeavour to make them [sc. gillyflowers] bear great Flowers, if you suffer 'em to bear many Flower-buds: 'tis also vain to expect Satisfaction if you take off too many of them;..so that a Medium must be observ'd.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 38 When I let him know my Reason, he own'd it to be just, and offer'd me this Medium, that he [etc.].
a1820 I. Milner in M. Milner Life I. Milner (1842) 510 Is there no medium between going to Court, and going a hunting?
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the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > restrained or moderate behaviour > [noun]
i-metOE
hovec1175
metc1175
methec1175
measurec1225
measure?c1225
temperancea1340
methefulnessc1350
temperurec1380
mannera1382
mannernessa1382
sobernessc1384
attemperancec1386
measurablenessa1400
amesingc1400
meanheada1425
mediocrity?a1425
moderation?a1425
moderancea1460
temperancy1526
mean1531
modesty1531
temperature1536
measure-keeping1556
moderateness1571
moderature1574
sobriety1582
mediety1583
moderacy1601
temperateness1609
reserve1660
medium1693
soft pedal1899
met1932
1693 Humours & Conversat. Town 88 They are generally Men of no Medium, but continually in Extreams.
1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random I. i. 5 He determined..to preserve no medium, but..sent her a peremptory order.
1780 W. Pitt in Ld. Stanhope Life I. 35 The use of the horse I assure you I do not neglect, in the properest medium.
II. A person or thing which acts as an intermediary.
4.
a. An intermediate agency, instrument, or channel; a means; esp. a means or channel of communication or expression. Frequently in by (also through) the medium of.
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the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > intermediate agency > intermediate means
middlec1230
medium1585
intermedium1660
intermede1791
intermediary1859
1585 R. Bostocke Difference Aunc. & Latter Phisicke sig. Bvii It is agreeable with our Anima (the Medium aforesayd).
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Pp3 But yet is not of necessitie, that Cogitations bee expressed by the Medium of Wordes. View more context for this quotation
1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. ii. v. §10. 309 Moses..wrought..by the medium of mens affections.
1659 T. Pecke Parnassi Puerperium 179 I know the Medium to let you see A wonder.
1726 D. Defoe Polit. Hist. Devil ii. vi. 273 The Devil has managed several..secret Operations..by the Medium or Instrumentality of the Cloven-Foot.
1775 E. Burke Speech Resol. for Concil. Colonies 5 The proposition is Peace. Not Peace through the medium of War.
1795 Gentleman's Mag. 65 544/1 Some useful information..may..be hoped for through the medium of your curious Publication.
1820 H. Fuseli Lect. Painting II. iv. 7 They are the end, this the medium.
1856 B. Brodie Psychol. Inq. (ed. 3) I. v. 186 The seal..except through the medium of his whiskers,..may be said..[to have] no sense of touch at all.
1867 Felton's Greece, Anc. & Mod. I. 16 They [sc. Latin and Greek] were the media of the scholarship, the science, the theology of the Middle Age.
1880 Coach Builders' Art Jrnl. 1 63 Considering your Journal one of the best possible mediums for such a scheme.
1908 E. F. Benson Climber 41 People they have never seen, and indeed never heard of except through the medium of the daily press.
1938 E. A. Powell Free-lance xlvi. 416 Though the Prime Minister spoke no English, we carried on a half-hour's conversation through the medium of his son.
1987 M. Brett How to read Financial Pages xxi. 230 The British as well as foreigners could deal anonymously in British markets via the medium of a Swiss bank.
b. Chiefly in medium of exchange: anything commonly agreed as a token of value and used in transactions in a trading system; esp. (also medium of circulation, circulating medium) freely circulating units of money, as banknotes, coins, which fulfil this role; currency. Formerly: (spec. in British colonies in America) †the local paper currency (obsolete).
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society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > [noun]
money?a1425
medium of exchange1695
currency1729
circulation1790
circulating medium1803
1695 S. Clement Disc. Money iii. 6 Money is become the Medium of all Commerce.
1714 Boston News-let. 16 Aug. 2/2 Trade..is very much Embarassed for want of a Medium of Exchange.
1740 in Public Rec. Colony of Connecticut (1874) VIII. 318 The expences of this government are likely to be very heavy..by reason..of a great scarcity of a medium of exchange.
1740 W. Douglass Disc. Currencies Brit. Plantations in Amer. 6 Upon cancelling this Paper Medium all those Inconveniences did vanish.
1758 in B. P. Smith Hist. Dartmouth Coll. (1878) 16 The discredit of our medium.
1827 P. Cunningham Two Years New S. Wales II. xxiii. 112 Bullion and paper, as mediums of circulation.
1833 H. Martineau Charmed Sea Summary 135 The adoption of a medium of exchange.
1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella II. i. xvii. 141 The only medium for representing their property was bills of exchange.
1884 Rep. Brit. Assoc. 837 Media of Exchange: some Notes on the Precious Metals and their Equivalents.
1937 W. Lippmann Good Society iii. xi. 219 Thus the money which is the medium of the exchange economy, the standard in which are expressed the prices that regulate the division of labor, was until recent times dependent upon accident.
1965 B. Pearce tr. E. Preobrazhensky New Econ. 175 All these branches, which require neither a lot of equipment nor much circulating media, and which have a quick turnover of capital, are more accessible to petty production and petty capital.
1994 Peace Mag. May 16/1 With LETS, instead of waiting for money to trickle down from somewhere else, Jeanne creates her own personal money by getting things she needs through a medium of exchange called ‘green dollars’.
c. Any of the varieties of painting or drawing as determined by the material or technique used. Hence more widely: any raw material or mode of expression used in an artistic or creative activity.See also mixed media n.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > painting > painting according to medium or technique > [noun]
medium1861
technique1866
1861 Atlantic Monthly Feb. 129/2 He who has selected colors as his medium cannot with impunity neglect form; light and shade must be to him as important as they are to the designer in chiaro-scuro [sic].
1892 Nation (N.Y.) 15 Dec. 477/2 There is no man to-day who understands his medium [sc. water colour] more perfectly.
1912 H. Belloc This & That 49 Four pictures were set in the walls.., mosaics, they seemed—but he did not examine their medium closely.
1978 H. E. L. Andrew Batsford Encycl. Crafts 189/2 Cartridge paper (drawing paper). White, very good for drawing on in any medium.
1993 Day (New London, Connecticut) 27 Jan. a2/5 [He] uses a wide range of media in his art, including paper, video, neon, steel and holography.
d. spec. A channel of mass communication, as newspapers, radio, television, etc.; the reporters, journalists, etc., working for organizations engaged in such communication. Frequently in plural with the. Cf. media n.2
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society > communication > information > [noun] > mass communication
medium1911
mass media1923
mass medium1923
media1923
mass communication1927
1850 Biblical Repertory Jan. 131 Our periodicals are now the media of influence. They form and mould the community.
1851 Househ. Words 13 Sept. 586/1 The act-drops of more than one of the minor Parisian theatres yield a handsome revenue by being converted into expansive advertising media.]
1911 F. Fenton Influence of Newspaper Presentations upon Crime vii. 94 It is likewise possible to use all of the media which contribute so largely to anti-social results in gaining increased social results.
1918 H. F. de Bower Advertising Princ. ii. 28 The final step in the plan is the selection of the medium thru which to appeal to the public's interest.
1921 G. S. Kaufman & M. Connelly Dulcy 18 Bill. I buy the Saturday Evening Post. Sterrett. But speaking generally of the other media—.
1929 E. O. Hughes Outl. Advertising v. 82 The advertising media to which reference will be made..are newspapers, journals, magazines and such-like printed publications.
1935 Fortune Nov. 193 We used no media other than radio to feature this soup..using one-third of our commercials on Campbell's Chicken Soup.
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 5 Dec. 698/5 The media which appeal to our visually conscious age call for organizing ability as well as individual talent.
1964 M. McLuhan Understanding Media i. 7 (heading) The medium is the message.
1969 T. Parsons Politics & Social Struct. iii. x. 250 Different media (or often the same media) carry qualitatively different content.
1974 Westindians in Great Brit. (ed. 2) 31 In addition to many other important roles in this medium [sc. television] he has twice been guest storyteller on Jackanory.
1998 Lucknow Sentinel (Ont.) 18 Mar. 10/6 Interested local citizens, farms and farm lenders, municipal staff, Conservation Authority and MNR staff, local politicians, government extension staff, and the media are encouraged to attend.
e. Any physical material (as tape, disk, paper, etc.) used for recording or reproducing data, images, or sound.
ΚΠ
1941 B.B.C. Gloss. Broadcasting Terms 12 Film Recording: (1) Process of registering sounds..the recording medium being transparent ribbon coated with an opaque substance.
1948 O. Kornei in Proc. Symp. Large-Scale Digital Calculating Machinery 1947 (US Navy Dept. & Harvard Univ.) 225 The usually desired linear transfer characteristic can be obtained by subjecting the recording medium to a suitable auxiliary field, the so-called bias field, simultaneously with the recording field.
1964 Gloss. Data Processing (Honeywell Inc.) 29/1 Head, a device that reads, records or erases information in a storage medium.
1988 Design Graphics World Feb. 44/3 A resealable flap on the Thru-Put package reduces moisture absorption and maximizes toner adherence to the copy media.
5. † d. Photography. A varnish used as a material in retouching. Obsolete.
a. An intervening substance through which a force acts on objects at a distance or through which impressions are conveyed to the senses; any substance considered with regard to its properties as a vehicle of light or sound. Frequently figurative.
ΚΠ
1595 G. Chapman Ouids Banquet of Sence sig. D2 (margin) Sight is one of the three sences that hath his medium extrinsecally.
1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. i. ii. vi. 33 To the Sight three things are required, the Obiect, the Organ, & the Medium.
1643 A. Ross Mel Heliconium (new ed.) 27 The air, which is the medium of musick and of all sounds.
a1652 J. Smith Select Disc. (1660) i. iii. 21 They shall no more behold the Divinity through those dark Mediums that eclipse the blessed Sight of it.
1709 Philos. Trans. 1708–09 (Royal Soc.) 26 368 This [experiment with a bell in a vacuum] plainly shews, and seems positively to confirm, That Air is the only Medium for the Propagation of Sound.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 257. ¶8 He therefore who looks upon the Soul through its outward Actions, often sees it through a deceitful Medium.
1745 E. Young Complaint: Night the Eighth 13 The Truth, through such a Medium seen, may make Impression deep.
1794 G. Adams Lect. Nat. & Exper. Philos. II. xv. 153 By a medium..is meant any pellucid or transparent body, which suffers light to pass through it.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 422 In passing into a denser medium, light is refracted towards the perpendicular.
1851 F. Palgrave Hist. Normandy & Eng. I. 189 The liability incurred by the nation is refracted through so many media.
1880 H. C. Bastian Brain iii. 60 To rudimentary aggregations of pigment, in some animals transparent media are added, serving to condense the light thereon.
1936 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 40 25 Ultra-sound waves are generated by a quartz oscillator arc propagated through a surrounding liquid medium.
1977 D. Jacobson Confessions of Josef Baisz x. 88 What a strange medium time is: transparent when you look back,..utterly opaque when you try to look forward.
1990 Sciences Mar. 2/2 Newton gave the first useful, scientific definition of gravity when he described it as action at a distance: all material objects attract each other, regardless of the medium, or lack of medium, between them.
b. [ < the application of the word in sense A. 5a to the air, ether, etc.] A pervading or enveloping substance; the substance in which an organism lives; esp. one in which microorganisms, cells, etc., are cultured. In extended use: one's environment, conditions of life, or usual social setting.culture, dispersion medium: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > wrapping > [noun] > enfolding or enveloping > that which or one who > an enveloping medium
mantleeOE
bathc1386
middle1570
swathe1615
medium1664
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > [noun] > environment, setting, or background
setting1841
scenics1842
background1854
milieu1854
environment1855
conditions1856
surroundings1861
medium1865
ambient1902
1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. Pref. sig. B4 The aetherial Medium (wherein all the Stars and Planets do swim).
1714 R. Fiddes Pract. Disc. (ed. 2) II. 338 The suspension of the clouds in a medium less gross than themselves.
1727–38 E. Chambers Cycl. at Retardation The retardation of moving bodies arises from..the resistance of the medium, and the force of gravity.
1794 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 84 407 Bones that are fossilized become so in the medium in which they were deposited at the animal's death.
1865 G. Grote Plato I. v. 201 You cannot thus abstract any man from the social medium by which he is surrounded.
1880 M. Arnold Lett. (1895) II. 184–5 The medium in which he [sc. Burns] lived, Scotch peasants, Scotch Presbyterianism, and Scotch drink, is repulsive. Chaucer..pleases me more and more, and his medium is infinitely superior.
1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 406/1 Thoroughly conducted cultivations should decide in what medium the Schizomycete flourishes best.
1909 Practitioner Nov. 596 An ordinary 2 per cent. agar medium.
1937 W. Lewis Revenge for Love vii. vii. 404 They in their car were like a cork, tossed in some turgid medium.
1963 H. Burn Drugs, Med. & Man (ed. 2) xx. 202 Penicillin had hitherto been made by growing the mould on the surface of a medium.
1991 Chile Pepper 5 ii. 25 You may even want to experiment with hydroponics, the growing of vegetables and flowers in a soil-less medium.
c. Painting. Any liquid substance (as oil, water, albumen, etc.) with which pigment is mixed for use in painting.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > equipment for painting or drawing > [noun] > paints > preparation of colours > mixing fluids, etc.
vehicle1758
megilp1768
siccative1825
medium1845
egg1854
gumption1854
extender1920
binder1922
1845 Punch 7 June 247/1 The following terms are indispensable, and may be used pretty much at random:—‘Chiaroscuro’, ‘texture’, ‘pearly greys’, ‘foxy browns’, ‘cool greens’, ‘breadth’, ‘handling’, ‘medium’, ‘vehicle’.
1854 F. W. Fairholt Dict. Terms Art Medium, the menstruum, or liquid vehicle, with which the dry pigments are ground and made ready for the artist's use.
1903 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 454 If his colours, his gilding, his mediums were of inferior quality, they were confiscated.
1954 Artist's Handbk. ii. 91 Most of them [sc. coal tar colours] have the property of bleeding or striking through when used with oil or oily mediums.
1988 Artist's & Illustrator's Mag. Feb. 16/3 Mix it dry into the egg medium.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > chemicals > [noun] > others
accelerator1843
nitroglucose1852
restrainer1865
medium1867
intensifier1883
stop bath1898
opaque1908
bleacher1911
coupler1938
wash1953
1867 Sci. Amer. 3 Aug. 75/1 Printing Photographs..I claim the interposition of any transparent medium, or a mat between the negative film and the printing surface, for the purpose of producing the effect as shown in the enclosed specimens.
1890 J. Hubert Retouching (1903) 23 If your medium will not take the blacklead readily, the former may be thickened.
1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 201 The simplest medium to render the surface of the negative suitable for marking upon is made by dissolving white powdered resin in turpentine... The negative to be retouched is prepared by rubbing upon it..a drop of the medium.
6. Used of a person.† a. gen. An intermediary agent; a mediator. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > intermediate agency > intermediate means > person as
dealerc1000
meanc1384
mediatorc1390
moyen1455
intermediator1522
broker1530
middlera1533
intercessor1554
mercury1602
intermedial1605
transactor1611
interdealer1613
intermeddler1630
intercommuner1638
middleman1648
second hand1655
inter-agent1728
intermediary1791
in-between1815
medium1817
intermediate1879
come-between1919
tolkach1955
1817 T. E. Bowdich Mission to Ashantee (1819) i. iii. 63 This man..is our only safe medium, and interprets to the King anxiously and impressively.
1896 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang IV. 298/2 Medium, a person engaged by a squatter, part of whose ‘run’ is offered by Government at a land lottery [or ballot]. The medium takes lot-tickets.., attends the drawing, and, if his ticket be drawn before his principal's land is gone, selects it, and hands it over on payment of the attendance fee.
b. Spiritualism. A person believed to be in contact with the spirits of the dead and to communicate between the living and the dead. Hence: a clairvoyant, a person under hypnotic control.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the paranormal > [noun] > clairvoyance > clairvoyant
seer1583
second seer1826
clairvoyant1851
medium1851
second-sighter1897
paragnost1964
the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > spiritualist or medium
ghost seer1799
sensitive1846
medium1851
spirit medium1851
spiritualist1851
spiritist1854
manifestationist1865
trance-medium1878
spookist1902
trumpet medium1912
witch of Endor1919
metapsychist1922
1851 L. C. Boynton Jrnl. 18 Mar. in Proc. Amer. Antiquarian Soc. (1933) 43 372 I have witnessed three times, one of which was last night, the ‘Rappings &c.’. A Mr White from Providence, a mason by trade, is the ‘medium’.
1854 M. R. Mitford in A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford (1870) III. xiv. 303 Bulwer is in the hands of a set of mediums, and passes his time in conversation with his dead daughter.
1886 W. James in Proc. Amer. Soc. Psychical Res. 105 Her pupils contract in the medium-trance.
1928 Daily Mail 25 July 6/2 If media were unable to get into a trance the sitting was cancelled and the money returned to the sitter.
1949 Chicago Tribune 2 Oct. iv. 8/5 It is rather the story of how she became a medium and a student of psychic phenomena.
1993 Times 25 Sept. (Weekend Suppl.) 7/1 Spiritualists believe that..a person who has died, or ‘passed’, becomes a ‘spirit’ which can communicate with the living through a medium.
7. Theatre. A coloured filter in the form of a screen fixed in front of a light source which is directed at the stage. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > theatrical equipment or accessories > [noun] > stage lights > screen
medium1859
scrim1891
gobo1923
1859 G. A. Sala Gaslight & Daylight ii. 21 Coloured screens, called ‘mediums’,..used to throw a lurid light of a moonlight on scenes.
1873 Routledge's Young Gentleman's Mag. 282/1 Fish-tail burners, guarded by curved metal reflecting hoods on the back and by wire work on the front side..so as to allow of red or green tammy mediums being dropped over each row.
1933 P. Godfrey Back-stage vii. 90 ‘Two more floods up-stage, Bill,’ says the stage-manager. ‘What mediums, sir—amber or pink?’
III. Senses derived from the adjective.† 8. A kind of cotton goods of medium weight (see quot. 1910). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > other
bustian1424
cotton tissed1585
Manchester1589
cannequin1598
madapollam1685
burdet1710
antherine1739
canque1750
jaconet1769
medium1777
bump1794
American sheeting1840
American cloth1851
American leather1858
gala1858
Merikani1860
T cloth1865
dhurrie1880
Americani1881
Tarantulle1890
Aertex1896
Tobralco1910
limbric1930
Ventile1954
1777 in Essex Inst. Historical Coll. (1906) XLII. 319 There cargo is Salt..37 bales, cases, hhds of mediums [etc.].
1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xviii. §3667 India twills, silicias, casbans, and mediums.
1910 Encycl. Brit. VII. 277/2 Medium is a plain calico, grey or bleached, of medium weight, used principally in the home and colonial trade. The word is sometimes particularly applied to cloths with a comparatively heavy weft, the distinction being made between the even ‘Mexican make’ and the ‘pin-head’ or ‘medium make’.
9. † a. A person of middle rank or class. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1820 J. F. Cooper Precaution II. ix. 118 ‘Noble blood, of course, you would require, my Lord?’ ‘Why, no! I rather think the best wives are to be found in a medium. I would wish to elevate my wife myself.’
1837 T. Hook Jack Brag I. ii. 46 The tip-toppers are livelier than the mediums.
b. A soldier (esp. in the cavalry) carrying a medium amount of equipment, between light and heavy. Now more usually: a piece of artillery, etc., of medium size or calibre. Cf. heavy n. 1.See also earlier use as an adjective in quot. 1876 at sense B. 3a.
ΚΠ
1889 Notes & Queries 10 Aug. 111/1 The 4th Dragoon Guards are no longer ‘Heavies’, but ‘Mediums’.
1930 Daily Express 8 Sept. 3/7 The light machines..will carry out protective reconnaissances, and when the mediums attack the destroyers will precede them as skirmishers, locating enemy anti-tank weapons and helping to neutralise them by machine-gun fire.
1992 P. Brutton Ensign in Italy iii. 26 We had long ago passed the gun lines, the heavies, the mediums and 25 pounders, in descending order.
10. A medium-dated security. See medium-dated adj. at Compounds 2.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > types of
redeemables1720
government bond1737
corporate bond1810
trustee security1859
international1863
foreigners1883
most active list1885
gilt-edge1900
actual1908
heavies1922
toxic waste1922
gilt-edged1930
prior charge1930
short1932
gilt1936
performer1939
tap1948
energy security1960
fallen angel1963
medium1968
physicals1974
underperformer1975
taplet1982
1968 P. A. S. Taylor Dict. Econ. Terms (ed. 4) 70 Medium-dated, ‘mediums’. Securities with a life of between five and fifteen years.
1974 Daily Tel. 25 May 20/6 The popularity among high taxpayers of low coupon mediums such as Treasury 3 p.c. 1979 is not all that difficult to comprehend.
1997 Independent (Electronic ed.) 17 Sept. Dated gilts are divided into ‘shorts’ (with less than five years to redemption), ‘mediums’ (with five to 15 years) and ‘longs’ (with 15 years or more).
B. adj.† 1. Average, mean. Obsolete.
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the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > condition of being mean or average > [adjective] > average
meana1387
medium1670
middle1699
middling1762
medial1778
average1803
regular1890
1670 J. Pettus Fodinæ Regales 9 Two Tun and a quarter of Oar make a Tun of Metal at a medium rate 3l. 10s.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. v. 182 The medium heat all the year round will be 66°.
1799 Hull Advert. 14 Sept. 3/2 Both of which may be accounted medium years.
1801 Asiatic Ann. Reg. 1800 Misc. Tracts 72/2 The medium height of a Fahrenheit's thermometer was between 80° and 82°.
1834 J. M. Peck Gazetteer Illinois i. 17 It [sc. Lake Michigan] is about 280 miles long and its medium width is about 60 miles.
2. Papermaking. Of paper: between royal and demy in size. Now rare.Medium writing and drawing paper usually measures 22 × 17½ inches (approx. 55.9 × 44.5 cm) in the United Kingdom, 23 × 18 inches (approx. 58.4 × 45.7 cm) in the United States. Medium printing paper usually measures 24 × 19 inches (approx. 61.0 × 48.3 cm).
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society > communication > printing > paper > [adjective] > sizes of paper
demy1546
imperial1658
super-royal1681
medium1711
royal1780
society > communication > writing > writing materials > material to write on > paper > [adjective] > designating international standard paper size > specific size of paper
demy1546
imperial1658
foolscap1671
super-royal1681
medium1711
royal1780
pinched1893
1711 Act 10 Anne c. 18 §37 For..all Paper..called..Medium Fine..the Summe of Six Shillings for every Reame... Genoa Medium..Two Shillings and Six Pence for every Reame.
1766 C. Anstey New Bath Guide (ed. 2) ii. 117 A sweet Medium paper, a book of fine Size.
1774 M. Mackenzie Treat. Maritim Surv. 105 A Folio Observation book of 4 Quires medium Paper.
1859 Stationer's Handbk. (ed. 2) 22 Medium post, a size not much in demand; it may be had in all the varieties, but very limited in the qualities, being mostly only required in the best.
1962 F. T. Day Introd. to Paper vii. 69 Sizes of paper in the United Kingdom centre round fifteen designations: Foolscap, Demy, Medium, Crown, [etc.].
3.
a. gen. Intermediate between two or more degrees in size, character, amount, quality, etc.
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the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > condition of being mean or average > [adjective]
evenc1300
mean1340
middlingc1485
intermediate1665
half-way1694
middle1699
medium1764
average1770
median1912
middle-range1924
1764 S. Foote Mayor of Garret ii. 31 State-affairs would not jog glibly without laying a farthing a quart upon ale; this scoundrel, not contented to take things in a medium way, has had the impudence to raise it a penny.
1796 C. Marshall Introd. Knowl. & Pract. Gardening 145 A good medium way is to plant the deciduous sorts [of trees] the beginning of March.
1859 C. Darwin Origin of Species iv. 119 A medium form may often long endure.
1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) at Cavalry In the British army cavalry is classed as heavy, medium, and light cavalry.
1884 Bath Herald 27 Dec. 6/5 The offal..is separated into broad bran, medium bran, and sharps.
1903 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 493 There is a tendency for land to get into the hands of medium and large proprietors.
1905 J. Heywood Mus. in Churches 17 Average choir boys cannot recite on a low note without being liable to use the thick register or chest voice instead of the medium register.
1951 A. Koestler Age of Longing ii. v. 256 Leontier woke up about noon with a medium-bad hangover.
1981 A. Judd Breed of Heroes ii. vi. 130 He was of medium height, slightly built.
1994 Dog World June 117/2 This seafaring breed was prized by fishermen for a spirited yet obedient nature and a robust, medium build.
2009 M. Pryor (title) Winning Spread Betting Strategies: how to make money in the medium term in up, down and sideways markets.
b. Of a colour: in the middle of a range of shades. Also as adv., modifying an adjective.
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1855 Sci. Amer. 5 May 266/1 Chips of logwood and fustic may be used in the dyeing of pieces, but not for yarn or wool. The quantity of stuffs given will make a medium green.
1901 T. Eaton & Co. Catal. Spring–Summer 91/1 Men's suits... Medium grey with light grey stripes.
1967 Brain 90 683 The earliest change seen..was darkening of the colour of the blood in venules and veins from the medium blue to very dark blue or blue-black.
1992 Rock & Gem Feb. 5/1 (advt.) Amethyst crystal clusters: Brazilian ‘A’ grade, medium purple.
c. Of an item of merchandise (esp. a garment): having a size intermediate between large and small.
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society > trade and finance > merchandise > [adjective] > merchandise sizing
medium1866
large1873
1866 Rural Amer. (Utica, N.Y.) 15 Mar. 94/3 (advt.) Early white flat dutch, size medium, grows quick.
1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 283/2 Ladies' combination or union suits..small, medium and large.
1917 Harrods Gen. Catal. 1380/5 Spun silk spencers... Medium 10/6. Pure silk knickers... Medium 37/6. Large size 38/6.
1966 H. W. Yoxall Fashion of Life xiv. 134 We have a medium tube [of shaving cream] called ‘king size’.
1981 J. Blume Tiger Eyes (1982) xxi. 89 They decide to split a medium pizza.
d. Of meat: cooked to a degree between well done and rare. Also in extended use. Also in medium done, medium rare (cf. rare adj.2 1).
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > [adjective] > cooked (of specific food) > meat
rawish1577
blood-raw1590
well-done1681
underdone1683
green1725
rare-done1746
rare1776
blue1867
medium1901
pink1947
1901 G. Ade 40 Mod. Fables 267 He was accustomed to Bolt his Food,..and let the Fried Sweets come along with the Medium Sirline.
1939 P. K. Newill Good Food iv. 72 Beef..medium..22–25 [minutes per pound].
1968 L. O'Donnell Face of Crime (1969) vii. 104 His own steak was just as ordered: medium rare and delicious.
1972 House & Garden Feb. 111/1 Steak au poivre was ordered bleu..but arrived medium done.
1994 New York 3 Jan. 30/2 The special sirloin on the bone is mostly medium, timidly rare only near the bone.
e. Of wine, sherry, etc.: having a flavour midway between dry and sweet. Sometimes more explicitly as medium dry, medium sweet.
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the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > qualities or characteristics of wine > [adjective] > medium
medium sweet1906
1906 Hatch, Mansfield Price List 11 First Quality, Extra or Medium Dry.
1933 H. W. Allen Sherry iii. 46 This medium wine is likely to find its way into a blend of Amoroso.
1960 I. Jefferies Dignity & Purity i. 18 I expect you'd like sherry, wouldn't you? Medium?
1973 J. Porter It's Murder with Dover v. 45 He sipped his medium sweet cider.
1994 Sainsbury's Mag. Aug. 93/1 The verdelho grape..makes the medium to dry versions of Madeira and is, therefore, not much in evidence in Sainsbury's Madeira.
f. Of cheese (esp. cheddar): having a flavour intermediate between that of mild and mature varieties.
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1966 V. Marquis & P. Haskell Cheese Bk. 190 You could probably find the ingredients for assembling a respectable..cheese tray: a wedge of young, medium, or more-than-six-months old Cheddar;..domestic Camembert..; and..some Switzerland ‘Swiss’.
1992 Harrowsmith Oct. 95 (advt.) Our products include flavoured cheese, mild, medium or old cheddar, goats milk cheese and our Premium Extra Old Cheddar.
Compounds
C1.
a. Used attributively with nouns forming adjectives.
medium-distance adj.
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1872 Bell's Life in London 28 Sept. To make a good handicap is no easy task, especially in long or medium distance races.
1993 Sunday Tel. 25 July 31/3 The series consists of five short inshore races, one medium-distance offshore race (the Channel Race) and to conclude, the 600-mile Fastnet Race.
2006 Wall St. Jrnl. 23 Mar. d7 Mr. Reynolds shows himself to be as accomplished in the medium-distance race..as he is at the short dash.
medium-grade adj.
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1872 Overland Monthly Nov. 409/1 Besides heavy masses of medium-grade ore prevously developed in its upper levels, rich and extensive reserves have more recently been opened up.
1992 M. Margetts Classic Crafts 173/3 Begin by passing a medium-grade sandpaper over the frame to roughen the surface slightly to provide a ‘key’ to hold the gesso.
medium-heel adj.
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1973 A. Roy Sable Night iii. 24 Dark red suède medium-heel shoes.
medium-pace adj.
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1865 N.Y. Herald 29 June 8/4 The success of medium pace pitching will have a great tendency to put swift pitching out of play.
1966 E. R. Dexter Ted Dexter Declares ii. 21 They gave me a bit of bowling and I started with medium-pace swingers and off cutters.
1996 TNT Mag. 8 July 16/3 The prolific middle-order batsman and medium pace bowler received..the trophy.
medium-range adj.
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1938 Wisconsin State Jrnl. 19 Feb. 1/3 Central was unable to hit the hoop..even when it had many medium range tries.
1943 Sun (Baltimore) 24 Aug. 2/6 But it could be of real value to medium and short-range planes.
1984 Times 30 Nov. 6/1 The inclusion of medium-range missiles in Europe in the umbrella arms talks Washington will begin with Moscow next year.
2006 A. Woods Medium-range Weather Predict. 246 The Centre's team of world-class..scientists produces the best medium-range and seasonal forecasts of the global atmosphere and oceans.
medium-rise adj.
ΚΠ
1968 Guardian 19 June 3/3 ‘Medium-rise’ housing—flats going up to only four or five stories.
1997 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 18 Dec. 29/3 The six medium-rise, late-modern buildings..run the coloristic gamut.
medium scale adj.
ΚΠ
1899 Econ. Jrnl. 9 134 Strong objections have already made themselves heard in the name of small and medium scale industry.
1987 J. Millman & A. Grabel Microelectronics (ed. 2) vii. 267 Most other functions discussed in this chapter are examples of medium-scale integration (MSI), defined to have more than 12, but less than 100, gates per chip.
2013 A. Chapoto et al. Agric. Commercialization (Internat. Food Policy Res. Instit.) iv. 9 We classified the former group as large-scale farmers and the latter as medium-scale farmers.
medium-size adj.
ΚΠ
1846 Nonconformist 2 Sept. 16/2 (advt.) Deane's medium-size Gem spirit lamp, for Parlours, Libraries, &c.
1886 Rep. Proc. 1885 (Assoc. Gas Engin. & Managers Eng. & Scotl.) App. 175 The cost of gas for all purposes..in a medium-size house is about three times the cost of coal.
1992 Pop. Crafts Mar. 21/3 A medium size orange covered in cling film.
2009 M. English Strategy Small & Medium Size Businesses 86 Most small and medium size businesses use magazines or newspapers to publicize their businesses.
medium-term adj.
ΚΠ
1931 Amer. Jrnl. Internat. Law 25 747 Discussed plans for an international bank to grant long and medium-term credits.
1958 Spectator 15 Aug. 216/3 A high credit rating for medium-term loans.
1971 Jrnl. Gen. Psychol. 84 243 Span memory is distinct from medium-term memory in the case of semantic material.
1990 Accountancy Mar. 45/2 Paper issued with an original maturity of up to one year will be called commercial paper, while that with a maturity of over one and up to five years will be referred to as medium term notes.
medium weight adj.
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1856 Daily Evening Bull. (San Francisco) 18 Oct. (advt.) 4000 medium weight Colored Blankets.
1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 282/3 Men's medium weight, natural wool color undershirts.
1986 Truck July 67/1 The 95, 115 and 135 mediumweight models all have Rameri axles.
2010 E. Knight Simple Knitting 143 A medium-weight merino blend yarn; 57% merino, 33% acrylic microfiber, 10% cashmere.
b. Parasynthetic.
medium-coloured adj.
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1891 C. T. C. James Romantic Rigmarole 75 Medium-coloured hair.
1991 Jrnl. Black Stud. 21 285 Medium-colored respondents were more likely than lighter or darker respondents to have participated in an economic boycott for racial reasons.
medium-paced adj.
ΚΠ
1863 Frederick Lillywhite's Cricket Scores & Biogr. Cricketers III. 43 A medium-paced round-armed bowler.
1993 Strings Mar. 43/3 Cotton Thompson learned this medium-paced piece from the regional ‘race record’ hit by bottleneck guitarist Kokomo Arnold.
medium-powered adj.
ΚΠ
1864 in Official Rec. Union & Confederate Navies War of Rebellion (U.S. Naval War Rec. Office) (1906) 1st Ser. XXI. 228 The Harriet Lane then commenced to gain on us (for she had us at the worst point for a medium-powered propeller).
1963 A. Bird & F. Hutton-Stott Veteran Motor Car Pocketbk. 41 Georges Richard himself was more interested in the medium-powered, medium-priced car.
1990 Screen Internat. 21 Apr. 18/1 Medium-powered satellites have a footprint which covers only a little more than the domestic frontiers.
medium-priced adj.
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1851 C. Cist Sketches & Statistics Cincinnati 205 These are principally low and medium-priced articles.
1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 15/3 The most satisfactory medium-priced cottons on the market.
1984 Which? Jan. 16/2 Machines tend to be fairly cheap to medium-priced and are widely available.
medium-sized adj.
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1848 Commerc. Rev. South & West Mar. 221 The largest buck we ever killed had a medium sized pair of horns.
1882 J. Hawthorne Fortune's Fool (1883) i. xiv He was a medium-sized, full-bodied man.
1987 Which? Oct. 471/1 A medium-sized plunger..should cope with most blocked sinks.
C2.
medium bomber n. a bomber of intermediate size, weight, range, or capacity.
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society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > [noun] > used in warfare > bomber
raider1908
bomber1917
night bomber1918
dart1925
bomb-dropper1928
flying boxcar1932
bombing plane1934
bomber aircraft1935
medium bomber1935
dive-bomber1937
heavy1943
nuisance raider1944
shuttle bomber1944
atomic bomber1945
interdictor1965
stealth1979
1935 Flight 22 Aug. 204a/2 The specialized light bomber..may..be supplanted eventually by the very fast medium bomber.
1956 U.S. Air Force Dict. 321/2 Medium bomber,..currently (1956), a bomber having a gross weight, including bomb load, of between 100,000 and 250,000 pounds..; a medium bomber is thought of as having medium range, and as being best used at medium altitudes, as well as having a medium gross weight.
1971 E. Luttwak Dict. Mod. War 45/2 ‘Medium’ bombers and ‘light’ bombers retain a residual role in ‘tactical’ situations.
1999 Airforces Monthly Oct. 15/1 After converting six Xian H-6 medium bombers..into air-refuelling tankers last year, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is to convert an additional undisclosed number of the type.
medium-close shot n. Film = medium close-up n.
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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > shot > [noun] > types of
long shot1858
glass shot1908
close-up1913
aerial shot1920
angle shot1922
medium shot1925
far-away1926
travelling shot1927
zoom1930
zoom shot1930
process shot1931
close-medium shot1933
medium close-up1933
reverse angle1933
reverse shot1934
three-shot1934
tilt shot1934
medium-close shot1937
reaction shot1937
tracking shot1940
pan shot1941
stock shot1941
Dutch angle1947
cheat shot1948
establishing shot1948
master-scene1948
trucking shot1948
two-shot1949
bridging shot1951
body shot1952
library shot1953
master shot1953
mid shot1953
MS1953
pullback1957
MCU1959
noddy1982
arc shot1989
pop shot1993
1937 G. Greene in Night & Day 30 Sept. 39/3 To me the most æsthetically satisfying of all cinematic shots is—in rough script terms—the medium close shot.
1957 A. R. Manvell & J. Huntley Technique Film Music ii. 34 Long track, mostly in medium or medium-close shot, with one large pull-back during the market-place scene.
1980 Yale French Stud. No. 60. 226 The medium-close shot of the player-piano obviously evokes the music-box that La Chesnay shows to his guests.
medium close-up n. Film a cinematographic or television shot intermediate between a medium shot (see medium shot n.) and a close-up.
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society > communication > broadcasting > television > production of television broadcast > [noun] > shot > types of shot
long shot1858
close-up1913
medium shot1925
travelling shot1927
medium close-up1933
reverse angle1933
three-shot1934
tilt shot1934
reaction shot1937
tracking shot1940
Dutch angle1947
two-shot1949
mid shot1953
freeze1960
freeze-frame1960
freeze-shot1960
frozen-frame1960
pack shot1960
noddy1982
arc shot1989
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > shot > [noun] > types of
long shot1858
glass shot1908
close-up1913
aerial shot1920
angle shot1922
medium shot1925
far-away1926
travelling shot1927
zoom1930
zoom shot1930
process shot1931
close-medium shot1933
medium close-up1933
reverse angle1933
reverse shot1934
three-shot1934
tilt shot1934
medium-close shot1937
reaction shot1937
tracking shot1940
pan shot1941
stock shot1941
Dutch angle1947
cheat shot1948
establishing shot1948
master-scene1948
trucking shot1948
two-shot1949
bridging shot1951
body shot1952
library shot1953
master shot1953
mid shot1953
MS1953
pullback1957
MCU1959
noddy1982
arc shot1989
pop shot1993
1933 A. Brunel Filmcraft 147 Scene 168. Medium close up. The slave-driven father looks desperately round again.
1969 W. Rutherford Gallows Set vi. 77 David in medium close up came on the monitor screens.
1995 Camcorder User Apr. 71/1 This overlap gives the editor freedom to choose the precise cutting point from mid shot to medium close-up.
medium-dated adj. Stock Market (of a security, etc.) having a medium amount of time until expiry.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [adjective] > types of securities
unissued1703
preferable1837
ordinary1866
pre-preference1867
gilt-edge1880
gilt-edged1881
unlisted1882
voting1883
assented1907
voteless1908
senior1914
well-traded1936
medium-dated1943
off-board1943
go-go1966
unquoted1969
alpha1984
gamma1986
1943 Jrnl. Business Univ. Chicago 16 79/2 Probably any security with a maturity between one and ten years would be thought of as medium dated.
1953 Economist 25 July 287/3 In the gilt-edged market interest at first was concentrated upon the ‘shorts’ and the medium dated issues.
1968 P. A. S. Taylor Dict. Econ. Terms (ed. 4) 70 Medium-dated, ‘mediums’. Securities with a life of between five and fifteen years.
1982 H. Wiesner Which? Bk. Saving & Investing x. 106 Stocks are..called..medium-dated if their latest redemption date is more than five but not more than ten years away.
medium density fibreboard n. a type of board made from compressed sawdust usually bonded with formaldehyde resin, used in furniture-making as a wood substitute; cf. chipboard n. at chip n.2 Compounds 2b; abbreviated MDF.
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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > wood-based materials > [noun] > chipboard or fibreboard
softboard1856
fibreboard1897
chipboard1898
beaver-board1909
wallboard1925
Masonite1926
Presdwood1927
woodchip board1947
particle board1954
MDF1972
medium density fibreboard1972
1972 Daily Inter Lake (Kalispell, Montana) 13 Oct. 2/3 Binger identified the new product as a medium density fiberboard (MDF).
1978 Wall St. Jrnl. 28 June 4/1 A condition of the agreement..is that Louisiana Pacific divest itself of all interest in Fibreboard's Rocklin, Calif., medium-density fiberboard plant..and that it refrain..from acquiring..particleboard or medium-density fiberboard production facilities.
1990 Ideal Home Apr. 33/4 Base woods on modern pieces can vary from new pine to medium density fibreboard (a hard-wearing wood-based material generally referred to as MDF).
medium format n. Photography a size of photographic film in which the image produced on the negative is in the approximate size range 6 × 4.5 cm to 6 × 9 cm; frequently attributive, designating photography or cameras using this type of film.
ΚΠ
1977 Photogr. & Trav. June 17 (advt.) The Hasselblad SWC is the only medium format camera especially designed for wide angle photography.
1990 Amateur Photographer 22 Sept. 51 (caption) Medium format is not often used for sport but Geoff Waugh used a Bronica ETRS here, combined with a burst of fill-in flash to lift the shadows.
medium frequency n. an intermediate frequency (of oscillation); (Telecommunications) a frequency of a medium wave, between 300 and 3000 kilohertz.
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society > communication > telecommunication > [noun] > signal > frequency or band of frequencies
high frequency1842
low frequency1900
voice frequency1905
audio frequency1913
pulsatance1919
medium frequency1920
side frequency1920
intermediate frequency1924
bass1930
frequency1943
frequency spectrum1955
1920 Whittaker's Electr. Engineer's Pocket-bk. (ed. 4) 348 The result..has been the adoption of two frequencies, a medium frequency for general power and lighting, and a low frequency for systems supplying rotary converters.
1946 Happy Landings (Air Ministry) July 9/1 The radio compass, when tuned to any medium frequency, was seriously affected by thunderstorms... The compass pointer did not point towards the M/F station selected.
1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) I. 363/2 European medium-frequency (mf) broadcasting channels are assigned at 9-kc intervals rather than the 10-kc intervals used in the Western hemisphere.
1990 Physiotherapy 76 745/2 Both the medium frequency currents themselves, and the amplitude modulated beat frequency, are portrayed as sinusoidal.
medium guard n. Swordsmanship and Fencing a type of guard or defensive posture (see quot. 1767).
ΚΠ
1711 Z. Wylde Eng. Master of Defence 23 The Medium Unicorn or Center Guard, is made thus.]
1747 J. Godfrey Treat. Useful Sci. Def. 21 Here are four Guards, viz. Inside, Outside, Medium, and Hanging.
1767 H. Fergusson Dict. Terms Small Sword 13 Medium Guard, the arm, wrist, and sword in this guard ought to be kept in the same height as the Quarte, and the edge of the sword perpendicular to the ground.
1892 A. Hutton Old Sword Play 10 Alfieri introduced a medium guard, guardia mista, which assumed a middle position between Tierce and Quarte.
1997 T. Brown Eng. Martial Arts 97 Figure 7 shows the medium guard. It is immediately apparent that this guard falls between the inside and the outside guard.
medium-haul n. [see haul n. 1c] a journey (esp. by air) of intermediate length, between short-haul and long-haul; frequently attributive.
ΚΠ
1963 Punch 4 Sept. 352/3 The new medium-haul Trident.
1999 Financial Times 9 Oct. 8/7 AOM predicted stoppages on only 15 per cent of long and medium-haul flights.
medium-pacer n. Cricket a medium-paced bowler.
ΚΠ
1955 I. Peebles Ashes 89 The second [alternative] was to stop up one end with the spinners and medium pacers.
1992 Pioneer on Sunday (Delhi) 13 Sept. 12/8 North Zone will be hoping for an encore from the medium-pacers who needed just 32.4 overs to wreck Central Zone.
medium security adj. designating a prison facility characterized by a moderate level of restriction on prisoners; (also) designating an inmate of such a facility; cf. maximum-security adj. at maximum n., adj., and adv. Compounds 1, minimum-security adj. at minimum n. and adj. Compounds 1.
ΚΠ
1930 N.Y. Times 29 Dec. 1/5 (heading) Report to Roosevelt Urges New ‘Medium Security’ Unit with Rooms Instead of Cells.
1993 Vancouver Sun 21 Aug. a11/2 The hero, Philip Conway, is a likely loser who has spent the last seven of his 32 years locked down at the Collins Bay medium security prison.
2006 Criminol. & Public Policy Feb. 169 The Service states that minimum- and medium-security women should not be housed in segregation unless there is a special need.
2016 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 30 Oct. 9/4 These are inmates in a medium-security prison, who are being asked to menace two federal ministers.
medium shot n. Film a cinematographic or television shot intermediate between a close-up and a long shot.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > broadcasting > television > production of television broadcast > [noun] > shot > types of shot
long shot1858
close-up1913
medium shot1925
travelling shot1927
medium close-up1933
reverse angle1933
three-shot1934
tilt shot1934
reaction shot1937
tracking shot1940
Dutch angle1947
two-shot1949
mid shot1953
freeze1960
freeze-frame1960
freeze-shot1960
frozen-frame1960
pack shot1960
noddy1982
arc shot1989
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > shot > [noun] > types of
long shot1858
glass shot1908
close-up1913
aerial shot1920
angle shot1922
medium shot1925
far-away1926
travelling shot1927
zoom1930
zoom shot1930
process shot1931
close-medium shot1933
medium close-up1933
reverse angle1933
reverse shot1934
three-shot1934
tilt shot1934
medium-close shot1937
reaction shot1937
tracking shot1940
pan shot1941
stock shot1941
Dutch angle1947
cheat shot1948
establishing shot1948
master-scene1948
trucking shot1948
two-shot1949
bridging shot1951
body shot1952
library shot1953
master shot1953
mid shot1953
MS1953
pullback1957
MCU1959
noddy1982
arc shot1989
pop shot1993
1925 M. Glass Y'Understand? 166 Here it says it: ‘Number two-thirty-four, medium shot, Ralph is sinking for the third time.’
1933 A. Brunel Filmcraft 150 Scene 488. Medium shot. The waiter pouring out champagne into the glasses on Pauline's table.
1975 New Yorker 26 May 32/3 I think we can get around the full lotus by having a stunt man do it, and using medium and long shots in a half-lit room.
1993 Discover Diving Apr. 49/1 Later you might want to go back and ‘pick-up’, or re-create the medium shots and close-ups.
medium trot n. a trot with a lengthened stride longer than a collected or working trot, but with less extension than the extended trot.
ΚΠ
1976 R. L. V. ffrench Blake Elem. Dressage ii. 20 The medium trot..is..between the working and extended trot, and more ‘round’ than the extended trot.
1986 Horse Internat. May 3/2 Despite a lack of impulsion, no medium trot..and a very irregular half pass, she finished in fourth place.
medium wave n. Telecommunications a radio wave with wavelength between a hundred metres and a kilometre (see quot. 1929 for former limits); a waveband including such wavelengths; frequently attributive (usually with hyphen).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > [noun] > radio wave > length of > specific
short wave1839
medium wave1928
MW1938
long wave1965
1928 Wireless World 7 Nov. 626/2 It will..be best to concentrate on maximum efficiency in medium-wave transformers.
1929 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers 68 22/2 The definitions were fixed as follows [by the International Radio Technical Committee]... Medium waves: kilocycles/sec 1500 to 100; m 200 to 3000.
1938 D. H. Surgeoner Aircraft Radio iii. 23 Medium waves are..suitable for both communications and direction-finding and these can be transmitted over reasonable distances.
1961 Radio Times 6 Apr. 9/1 The Network Three transmitters, both medium-wave and VHF, will be used for one channel.
1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia III. 311/1 Long waves range from 30 to 300 kilohertz; medium waves from 300 kilohertz to 3 megahertz; and short waves from 3 to 30 megahertz.
1992 Economist 2 May 22/3 Better programmes..must be delivered on the better wavebands—medium wave or FM—that East Europeans want to listen to.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.adj.1573