median

median · noun, adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*médʰyos“middle”
2. Latin · derived frommediānus“of or pertaining to the middle”
3. Middle French · borrowed frommedian
4. English todaymedian

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.

Median · adjective, noun, proper noun²

From Media + -n.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 15th c. A central vein or nerve, especially the median vein or median nerve running through the forearm and arm.
• from 19th c. 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 20th c. The area separating two lanes of opposite-direction traffic.
• from 16th c. Situated in a middle, central, or intermediate part, section, or range of (something).
• from 16th c. In the middle of an organ, structure etc.; towards the median plane of an organ or limb.
• from 19th c. Having the median as its value.
• from 16th c. Relating to Media or Medes.
• 17th–19th c. Of laws, rules etc.: unchanging, invariable.