median

[ mee-dee-uh n ]
/ ˈmi di ən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR median ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Arithmetic, Statistics. the middle number in a given sequence of numbers, taken as the average of the two middle numbers when the sequence has an even number of numbers: 4 is the median of 1, 3, 4, 8, 9.
Geometry. a straight line from a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side.
Also called midpoint. a vertical line that divides a histogram into two equal parts. Compare central tendency.
median strip.

adjective

Origin of median

First recorded in 1535–45, median is from the Latin word mediānus in the middle. See medium, -an

OTHER WORDS FROM median

me·di·an·ly, adverb post·me·di·an, adjective pre·me·di·an, noun, adjective sub·me·di·an, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH median

mean median media median medium mediums

Words nearby median

medial occipitotemporal gyrus, medial plantar nerve, medial pterygoid muscle, medial rectus muscle, medial supraclavicular nerve, median, median artery, median bar of mercier, median groove of tongue, median lethal dose, median line

Definition for median (2 of 2)

Median
[ mee-dee-uh n ]
/ ˈmi di ən /

adjective

of or relating to Media, the Medes, or their language.

noun

a Mede.
the Iranian language of ancient Media, contemporaneous with Old Persian.

Origin of Median

First recorded in 1595–1605; Medi(a) + -an

Words related to median

par, central, center, average, midpoint, midway, intermediate, intermediary, mean, equidistant, halfway, medial, mid, middlemost, midmost

Example sentences from the Web for median

British Dictionary definitions for median

median
/ (ˈmiːdɪən) /

adjective

noun

Derived forms of median

medianly, adverb

Word Origin for median

C16: from Latin mediānus, from medius middle

Medical definitions for median

median
[ mē′dē-ən ]

adj.

Relating to, located in, or extending toward the middle.
Of, relating to, or situated in or near the plane that divides a bilaterally symmetrical animal into right and left halves; mesial.
Of, relating to, or constituting the middle value in a distribution.

n.

A median point, plane, line, or part.
The middle value in a distribution, above and below which lie an equal number of values.

Scientific definitions for median

median
[ mē′dē-ən ]

In a sequence of numbers arranged from smallest to largest:
  1. The middle number, when such a sequence has an odd number of values. For example, in the sequence 3, 4, 14, 35, 280, the median is 14.
  2. The average of the two middle numbers, when such a sequence has an even number of values. For example, in the sequence 4, 8, 10, 56, the median is 9 (the average of 8 and 10). Compare arithmetic mean average mode.
A line joining a vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side.

Cultural definitions for median (1 of 2)

median

The point in a series at which half of the values or units of the series are higher and half lower.

Cultural definitions for median (2 of 2)

median

In statistics, the middle value of a set of numbers or data points; half the figures will fall below the median and half above. (See average; compare mean and mode.)