medal
[ med-l ]
/ ˈmɛd l /
noun
a flat piece of metal, often a disk but sometimes a cross, star, or other form, usually bearing an inscription or design, issued to commemorate a person, action, or event, or given as a reward for bravery, merit, or the like: a gold medal for the best swimmer.
a similar object bearing a religious image, as of a saint: a Saint Christopher's medal.
verb (used with object), med·aled, med·al·ing or (especially British) med·alled, med·al·ling.
to decorate or honor with a medal.
verb (used without object), med·aled, med·al·ing or (especially British) med·alled, med·al·ling.
to receive a medal, especially in a sporting event: He medaled in three of four races.
Origin of medal
1580–90; earlier
medaille < Middle French < Italian
medaglia copper coin worth a halfpenny < Vulgar Latin
*medalia, variant (by dissimilation) of Late Latin
mediālia, noun use of neuter plural (taken as feminine singular) of
mediālis
medial
OTHER WORDS FROM medal
un·med·aled, adjective un·med·alled, adjectiveWords nearby medal
Example sentences from the Web for medal
British Dictionary definitions for medal
medal
/ (ˈmɛdəl) /
noun
a small flat piece of metal bearing an inscription or image, given as an award or commemoration of some outstanding action, event, etc
verb -als, -alling or -alled or US -als, -aling or -aled
(tr)
to honour with a medal
(intr) informal
(in sport) to win a medal
Derived forms of medal
medallic (mɪˈdælɪk), adjectiveWord Origin for medal
C16: from French
médaille, probably from Italian
medaglia, ultimately from Latin
metallum
metal