median
See also: Median, médian, medían, and medián
English
Finding the median in sets of data with an odd and even number of values.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French median, from Latin mediānus (“of or pertaining to the middle”, adjective), from medius (“middle”) (see medium), from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (“middle”). Doublet of mean and mizzen. Cognate with Old English midde, middel (“middle”). More at middle.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈmiːdɪən/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈmiːdi.ən/
Audio (UK) (file)
Noun
median (plural medians)
- (anatomy, now rare) A central vein or nerve, especially the median vein or median nerve running through the forearm and arm. [from 15th c.]
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 3, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
- Why is not our jugular or throat-veine as much at our command as the mediane [translating mediane]?
- 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970, partition II, section 5, member 2:
- The Greeks prescribe the median or middle vein to be opened, and so much blood to be taken away as the patient may well spare, and the cut that is made must be wide enough.
- (geometry) A line segment joining the vertex of triangle to the midpoint of the opposing side.
- (statistics) A number separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, population, or probability distribution. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to highest value and picking the middle one (e.g., the median of {3, 3, 5, 9, 11} is 5). If there is an even number of observations, then there is no single middle value; the median is then usually defined to be the mean of the two middle values. [from 19th c.]
- Coordinate terms: medial, mean, average
- (US) The area separating two lanes of opposite-direction traffic; the median strip. [from 20th c.]
- 2019, Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys, Fleet, page 134:
- Seen from street level, the median was clean most days. From the third floor you peered over the benches and trees and saw the trash crowding the subway ventilation grates and paving stones.
Synonyms
- (median strip): central reservation
Hypernyms
- quantile
Coordinate terms
- (statistics): median (2-quantile), tercile/tertile (3), quartile (4), quintile (5), sextile (6), septile (7), octile (8), decile (10), hexadecile (16), ventile/vigintile (20), centile/percentile (100)
Related terms
- mean
- medial
- mediate
- mediation
- mediator
- medium
- mediocre
- mediocrity
- mesial (see explanation of overlap)
Translations
central vein or nerve
|
geometry: line segment joining vertex and midpoint of opposing side
|
statistics: measure of central tendency
|
area separating two lanes of opposite-direction traffic — see median strip
Adjective
median (not comparable)
- (anatomy) Situated in a middle, central, or intermediate part, section, or range of (something). [from 16th c.]
- Coordinate terms: medial, mesial
- (anatomy, botany) In the middle of an organ, structure etc.; towards the median plane of an organ or limb. [from 16th c.]
- (statistics) Having the median as its value. [from 19th c.]
Derived terms
- median line
- median strip
Translations
situated in the middle
|
having the median as its value
|
See also
- average
- mean
- mode
Anagrams
- Damien, Eidman, Maiden, Manide, Medina, Midean, aidmen, demain, maenid, maiden, mained, medina, meidan
Esperanto
Adjective
median
- accusative singular of media
Finnish
Noun
median
- genitive singular of media
Anagrams
- maiden
Indonesian
Etymology
From Dutch mediaan, from Latin medianus (“of or pertaining to the middle”, adjective), from medius (“middle”) (see medium), from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (“middle”). Doublet of madya.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [meˈdian]
- Hyphenation: mé‧di‧an
Noun
median or médian
- median,
- (statistics) the number separating the higher half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half.
- (geometry) a line segment joining the vertex of triangle to the midpoint of the opposing side.
- (road transport) the median strip; the area separating two lanes of opposite-direction traffic.
- medium, anything having a measurement intermediate between extremes, such as a garment or container.
- Synonym: sedang
- (printing, dated) pica: 12-point type
- (printing, dated) mediaan, a former Nederland paper size, 470 mm × 560 mm.
Related terms
- madya
Further reading
- “median” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
Romanian
Etymology
From French médian, from Latin medianus.
Adjective
median m or n (feminine singular mediană, masculine plural medieni, feminine and neuter plural mediene)
- median
Declension
Declension of median
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
| nominative/ accusative | indefinite | median | mediană | medieni | mediene | ||
| definite | medianul | mediana | medienii | medienele | |||
| genitive/ dative | indefinite | median | mediene | medieni | mediene | ||
| definite | medianului | medienei | medienilor | medienelor | |||
Spanish
Verb
median
- third-person plural present indicative of mediar
Swedish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin medianus; cf. English median.
Noun
median c
- median value
Declension
| Declension of median | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | median | medianen | medianer | medianerna |
| Genitive | medians | medianens | medianers | medianernas |
Related terms
- medianvärde