from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Medium \Me"di*um\, n.; pl. L. {Media}, {E}. {Mediums}. [L.
medium the middle, fr. medius middle. See {Mid}, and cf.
{Medius}.]
1. That which lies in the middle, or between other things;
intervening body or quantity. Hence, specifically:
(a) Middle place or degree; mean.
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The just medium . . . lies between pride and
abjection. --L'Estrange.
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(b) (Math.) See {Mean}.
(c) (Logic) The mean or middle term of a syllogism; that
by which the extremes are brought into connection.
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2. A substance through which an effect is transmitted from
one thing to another; as, air is the common medium of
sound. Hence: The condition upon which any event or action
occurs; necessary means of motion or action; that through
or by which anything is accomplished, conveyed, or carried
on; specifically, in animal magnetism, spiritualism, etc.,
a person through whom the action of another being is said
to be manifested and transmitted.
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Whether any other liquors, being made mediums, cause
a diversity of sound from water, it may be tried.
--Bacon.
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I must bring together
All these extremes; and must remove all mediums.
--Denham.
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3. An average. [R.]
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A medium of six years of war, and six years of
peace. --Burke.
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4. A trade name for printing and writing paper of certain
sizes. See {Paper}.
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5. (Paint.) The liquid vehicle with which dry colors are
ground and prepared for application.
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6. (Microbiology) A source of nutrients in which a
microorganism is placed to permit its growth, cause it to
produce substances, or observe its activity under defined
conditions; also called {culture medium} or {growth
medium}. The medium is usually a solution of nutrients in
water, or a similar solution solidified with gelatin or
agar.
[PJC]
7. A means of transmission of news, advertising, or other
messages from an information source to the public, also
called a {news medium}, such as a newspaper or radio; used
mostly in the plural form, i. e. {news media} or {media}.
See 1st {media}[2].
[PJC]
{Circulating medium}, a current medium of exchange, whether
coin, bank notes, or government notes.
{Ethereal medium} (Physics), the ether.
{Medium of exchange}, that which is used for effecting an
exchange of commodities -- money or current
representatives of money.
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from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
34 Moby Thesaurus words for "medium of exchange":
and pence, cash, circulating medium, coinage, coined liberty,
cold cash, currency, dollars, emergency money, filthy lucre,
fractional currency, gold, hard cash, hard currency, legal tender,
lucre, mammon, managed currency, mintage, money, necessity money,
pelf, postage currency, postal currency, pounds, scrip, shillings,
silver, soft currency, specie, sterling, the almighty dollar,
the wherewith, the wherewithal