medium
Other forms: media; mediums; mediumly
Think of the word medium as something in between. In clothing, we have small, medium, and large; in communications, it's what signals travel through from broadcast to receiver; and in spiritual terms, it’s a person who converses with the dead.
The word medium — from the Latin adjective medius, "middle" — has several meanings that all center on the idea of being in between. From the air that carries the broadcast signal, to the person who transmits messages from the dead, to the measurement of the "doneness" of your steak, medium means something that lies between two other points, people, or levels.
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the surrounding environment“fish require an aqueous medium”
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type of:
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environment, environs, surround, surroundings
the area in which something exists or lives
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environment, environs, surround, surroundings
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an intervening substance through which something is achieved“the dissolving medium is called a solvent”
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types:
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dissolvent, dissolver, dissolving agent, resolvent, solvent
a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances
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acetone, dimethyl ketone, propanone
the simplest ketone; a highly inflammable liquid widely used as an organic solvent and as material for making plastics
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chlorobenzene
a colorless volatile flammable liquid with an almond odor that is made from chlorine and benzene; used as a solvent and in the production of phenol and DDT and other organic compounds
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carbolic acid, hydroxybenzene, oxybenzene, phenol, phenylic acid
a toxic white soluble crystalline acidic derivative of benzene; used in manufacturing and as a disinfectant and antiseptic; poisonous if taken internally
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carbon tet, carbon tetrachloride, perchloromethane, tetrachloromethane
a colorless nonflammable liquid used as a solvent for fats and oils; because of its toxicity its use as a cleaning fluid or fire extinguisher has declined
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hexane
a colorless flammable liquid alkane derived from petroleum and used as a solvent
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menstruum
(archaic) a solvent
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naphtha
any of various volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixtures; used chiefly as solvents
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remover
a solvent that removes a substance (usually from a surface)
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alcahest, alkahest, universal solvent
hypothetical universal solvent once sought by alchemists
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methylbenzene, toluene
a colorless flammable liquid obtained from petroleum or coal tar; used as a solvent for gums and lacquers and in high-octane fuels
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xylene, xylol
a colorless flammable volatile liquid hydrocarbon used as a solvent
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type of:
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substance
the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
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(bacteriology) a nutrient substance (solid or liquid) that is used to cultivate micro-organisms
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synonyms:
culture medium
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types:
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agar, nutrient agar
any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent
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blood agar
a culture medium containing whole blood as the nutrient
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agar, nutrient agar
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(biology) a substance in which specimens are preserved or displayed
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types:
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contrast material, contrast medium
a substance that is opaque to x-rays; when administered it allows a radiologist to examine the organ or tissue it fills
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type of:
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substance
the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
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contrast material, contrast medium
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a state that is intermediate between extremes; a middle position“a happy medium”
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type of:
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state
the way something is with respect to its main attributes
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state
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around the middle of a scale of evaluation
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synonyms:
average, intermediate
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moderate
being within reasonable or average limits; not excessive or extreme
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moderate
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(meat) cooked until there is just a little pink meat inside
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Synonyms:
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cooked
having been prepared for eating by the application of heat
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cooked
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a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
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types:
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vehicle
a medium for the expression or achievement of something
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paper
a medium for written communication
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celluloid, cinema, film
a medium that disseminates moving pictures
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print media
a medium that disseminates printed matter
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data-storage medium, storage medium
a medium for storing information
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telecom, telecommunication
(often plural) systems used in transmitting messages over a distance electronically
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album, record album
one or more recordings issued together; originally released on 12-inch phonograph records (usually with attractive record covers) and later on cassette audiotape and compact disc
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forum
a medium, especially a website, for discussion of ideas and issues
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silver screen
the film industry
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press, public press
the print media responsible for gathering and publishing news in the form of newspapers or magazines
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magnetic medium, magnetic storage, magnetic storage medium
any storage medium in which different patterns of magnetization are used to represent stored bits or bytes of information
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journalism, news media
newspapers and magazines collectively
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samizdat, underground press
a system of clandestine printing and distribution of dissident or banned literature
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telephone, telephony
transmitting speech at a distance
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telegraphy
communicating at a distance by electric transmission over wire
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wireless
transmission by radio waves
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broadcasting
taking part in a radio or tv program
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multiplex
communicates two or more signals over a common channel
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concept album
an album whose recordings are unified by some theme (instrumental or lyrical or narrative or compositional)
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type of:
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instrumentality, instrumentation
an artifact (or system of artifacts) that is instrumental in accomplishing some end
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an intervening substance through which signals can travel as a means for communication
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types:
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aether, ether
a medium that was once supposed to fill all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic waves
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air, airwave
medium for radio and television broadcasting
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type of:
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communicating, communication
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
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aether, ether
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someone who serves as an intermediary between the living and the dead“he consulted several mediums”
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synonyms:
sensitive, spiritualist
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type of:
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psychic
a person apparently sensitive to things beyond the natural range of perception
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psychic
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a technology that is used to to disseminate information or entertainment widely to the public
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synonyms:
mass medium
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types:
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broadcast medium, broadcasting
a medium that disseminates via telecommunications
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type of:
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transmission
communication by means of transmitted signals
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broadcast medium, broadcasting
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a liquid with which pigment is mixed by a painter
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an occupation for which you are especially well suited
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synonyms:
metier
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type of:
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business, job, line, line of work, occupation
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
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business, job, line, line of work, occupation
/ˈmidiəm/
/ˈmidiəm/
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A paragraph of text
Copy citationVocabulary lists containing medium
In this second book of the Supernatural Investigations series, thirteen-year-old Amari Peters of Atlanta's Whitman Preparatory Academy must compete for the Crown in order to save her brother, stop a war, and prevent the future of magic from being controlled by evil forces.
On the ACT Reading Test, you'll encounter questions that ask you to determine the meanings of common words in context. We've identified 170 high-frequency, multiple-meaning words of the sort that you'll see on the exam. As you practice this list, you'll have to rely on context clues in order to determine each word’s meaning in a particular sentence. Be careful! Several of a word's meanings might show up as answer choices — but only one answer will capture the meaning of the word in the context of the sentence.
For a better understanding of the words you learned on Rosetta Stone Foundations, simply start a practice session! You’ll learn additional meanings and different contexts that will help you become a stronger reader and writer.
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