Updated on March 6, 2024
Medium, a word of Latin origin, has come to hold great significance in our everyday lives. It refers to the means or channel through which something is expressed or communicated. From a quiet conversation to a booming speech, from a whisper to a scream, the medium is the message carrier.
Medium has also seeped into popular culture, inspiring the name of a renowned online publishing platform, and featuring in various art forms such as spiritualism and mediumistic painting. Its historical context is equally fascinating, with medium denoting the person who conveys the intentions of gods or spirits in ancient Rome.
Understanding the translation of medium in different languages can open doors to new perspectives and cultural insights. For instance, in Spanish, medium translates to 'medio', in French, it's 'moyen', while in German, it's 'Medium'. Exploring these linguistic nuances can enrich one's appreciation for the world's diverse cultures and languages.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of medium in a variety of languages, from the familiar to the exotic. Prepare to be intrigued, educated, and inspired!
Afrikaans | medium | ||
In Afrikaans, the word "medium" can also refer to a psychic or spiritual intermediary between the living and the dead. | |||
Amharic | መካከለኛ | ||
The word "መካከለኛ" can also refer to a judge or arbitrator, as well as to a middle person or go-between. | |||
Hausa | matsakaici | ||
In Hausa, "matsakaici" also refers to a mediator or arbitrator. | |||
Igbo | ọkara | ||
Ọkara is cognate with the Yoruba word àkàrà, meaning both 'medium' and 'bean cake'. | |||
Malagasy | salasalany | ||
The Malagasy word "salasalany" is also used to describe someone who is fair-skinned or light-colored. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | sing'anga | ||
In Nyanja (Chichewa), "sing'anga" also refers to a traditional healer or herbalist. | |||
Shona | svikiro | ||
In some Shona dialects, svikiro can also mean 'interpreter,' 'representative,' or 'envoy'. | |||
Somali | dhexdhexaad ah | ||
The word "dhexdhexaad ah" is an example of reduplication in Somali, which means that the root word "dhex" (middle) is repeated to emphasize the concept of "intermediacy". | |||
Sesotho | mahareng | ||
The word "mahareng" likely derives from the Sesotho verb "harenga," meaning "to mediate" or "to reconcile." | |||
Swahili | kati | ||
Kati can also refer to an informal measurement for land and can also mean "waist". | |||
Xhosa | phakathi | ||
The word 'phakathi' has spiritual connotations, representing the middle space between the physical and spiritual realms. | |||
Yoruba | alabọde | ||
"Alabọde" also means "one who has a physical, mental, or spiritual experience that provides information about the future or about something unknown | |||
Zulu | okulingene | ||
In addition to its meaning of "medium," "okulingene" can also mean "go-between" or "intermediary." | |||
Bambara | hakɛ | ||
Ewe | le vedome | ||
Kinyarwanda | giciriritse | ||
Lingala | katikati | ||
Luganda | midiyamu | ||
Sepedi | dirišwago | ||
Twi (Akan) | kwan | ||
Arabic | متوسط | ||
In addition to the common meaning of "medium," "متوسط" in Arabic can also refer to an average or mean. | |||
Hebrew | בינוני | ||
The word "בינוני" can also mean "average" or "intermediate". | |||
Pashto | وچ | ||
This word can also mean 'mean' or 'ordinary' in the context of quality or status. | |||
Arabic | متوسط | ||
In addition to the common meaning of "medium," "متوسط" in Arabic can also refer to an average or mean. |
Albanian | mesatare | ||
Mesatare in Albanian can also refer to the middle voice in grammar, which indicates that an action is done by or to the subject simultaneously. | |||
Basque | ertaina | ||
In Basque, "ertaina" also means "something that is certain; certain thing, certainty" and "reliable, trustworthy". | |||
Catalan | mitjà | ||
Catalan word "mitjà" derives from the Latin "medius" (in the middle), which can also translate to "average" in modern contexts. | |||
Croatian | srednji | ||
The Croatian word "srednji" derives from the Proto-Slavic form "*sъrědĭnĭ", meaning "middle" or "central". | |||
Danish | medium | ||
In Danish, 'medium' can also refer to a 'psychic' or someone who claims to have supernatural abilities. | |||
Dutch | medium | ||
In Dutch, “medium” can be a medium, as in a communication channel, or the person through whom that information passes. | |||
English | medium | ||
The word 'medium' is derived from the Latin word 'medius', which means 'middle'. It can also refer to a means of communication or a person who claims to have supernatural abilities. | |||
French | moyen | ||
In French, "moyen" can also refer to average quality or a fair amount. | |||
Frisian | medium | ||
The word "medium" in Frisian is a loanword from Latin which can also mean "middle" or "average". | |||
Galician | medio | ||
Galician "medio" (medium) comes from Latin "medium" (half, in the middle), which derives from "medius" (in the middle), related to English "mid" and "meet". | |||
German | mittel | ||
The word "Mittel" in German derives from the Latin word "medium", which means "in the middle", and can also refer to a substance or agent that facilitates a process. | |||
Icelandic | miðlungs | ||
"Miðlungs" can also mean "mediocre" or "ordinary" in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | mheán | ||
In addition to its primary meaning, "mheán" can also refer to an average or a middle value. | |||
Italian | medio | ||
The Italian word "medio" can also refer to a middle finger or a lukewarm temperature. | |||
Luxembourgish | mëttel | ||
Maltese | medju | ||
The word "medju" in Maltese comes from the Arabic word "mutawassit", meaning "middle" or "intermediate". | |||
Norwegian | medium | ||
In Norwegian, "medium" can refer to a medium of communication (such as a newspaper or television), or it can refer to a person who claims to be able to communicate with spirits. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | médio | ||
The word "médio" can also mean "average" or "mediocre" in Portuguese. | |||
Scots Gaelic | meadhanach | ||
The word 'meadhanach' is derived from the Old Irish word 'mediánach', which originally meant 'middle', but has come to mean 'medium' over time. | |||
Spanish | medio | ||
The Spanish word "medio" can also mean "half" or "average". | |||
Swedish | medium | ||
In Swedish, "medium" can also refer to a middle child or something average in quality. | |||
Welsh | canolig | ||
The word "canolig" in Welsh can also refer to a "middleman" or "intermediary". It is derived from the word "canol", meaning "centre" or "middle". |
Belarusian | сярэдні | ||
Bosnian | srednje | ||
In some contexts, "srednje" can also mean "average" or "moderate." | |||
Bulgarian | средно | ||
In Bulgarian, "средно" means "average," "medium," or "intermediate." | |||
Czech | střední | ||
The adjective "střední" in Czech also has the meaning of "average" or "mean" in mathematics, in addition to its meaning as "medium" in size, quantity, or quality. | |||
Estonian | keskmine | ||
Estonian "keskmine" has another meaning: "average". | |||
Finnish | keskipitkällä | ||
"Keskipitkällä" is a compound word composed of "keski- " (middle) and "pitkällä" (far), meaning "moderately far" or "midway". | |||
Hungarian | közepes | ||
The word "közepes" can also mean "middle class" or "average" in Hungarian. | |||
Latvian | vidējs | ||
In Latvian, the word "vidējs" comes from the Slavic root "вид" and initially meant "appearance". | |||
Lithuanian | vidutinis | ||
The word "vidutinis" (medium) in Lithuanian has several alternate meanings, including "average", "moderate", and "fair". It is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *medh-, meaning "middle" or "central". | |||
Macedonian | среден | ||
The word "среден" can also mean "average" or "moderate" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | średni | ||
The word "średni" in Polish also means "middle" or "average". | |||
Romanian | mediu | ||
The word "mediu" is derived from the Latin word "medius" and means "in the middle" as well as "medium-sized" or "average". | |||
Russian | средняя | ||
In Russian, "Средняя" can refer not only to "medium" but also to a "female high school student" or a "middle school." | |||
Serbian | средње | ||
The Serbian word "средње" can also mean "average" or "moderate". | |||
Slovak | stredná | ||
The word "stredná" in Slovak can also refer to a secondary school or a female person of average height or size. | |||
Slovenian | srednje | ||
The word “srednje” can also mean “average” or “moderate” in Slovenian. | |||
Ukrainian | середній | ||
The Ukrainian word "середній" can refer not only to the average of a number but also to something intermediate in size or quantity. |
Bengali | মধ্যম | ||
The word "মধ্যম" in Bangla comes from the Sanskrit word "madhya" meaning "middle," "average," or "ordinary." | |||
Gujarati | માધ્યમ | ||
Alternate meanings of the Gujarati word "માધ્યમ" include "average", "means", and a "person through whom spirits communicate". | |||
Hindi | मध्यम | ||
The word 'मध्यम' can also refer to the middle of three or more things, or to a moderate amount or degree. | |||
Kannada | ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ | ||
The word "ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ" can also refer to an arbitrator, referee, or middleman. | |||
Malayalam | ഇടത്തരം | ||
இடத்தரம் (medium) comes from the Sanskrit word 'madhya', meaning 'middle', and can also refer to an average quality or degree. | |||
Marathi | मध्यम | ||
In Marathi, "मध्यम" also denotes fairness, balance, or moderation | |||
Nepali | मध्यम | ||
The word "मध्यम" in Nepali can also mean "middle" or "average". | |||
Punjabi | ਮਾਧਿਅਮ | ||
The Punjabi word "ਮਾਧਿਅਮ" also refers to one who practices spiritualism or acts as a channel between spirits and humans. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මධ්යම | ||
The word "මධ්යම" (medium) in Sinhala can also refer to "average" or "moderate". | |||
Tamil | நடுத்தர | ||
The word 'நடுத்தர' in Tamil can also refer to the middle class or to a neutral or unbiased position. | |||
Telugu | మధ్యస్థం | ||
Urdu | میڈیم | ||
The word "میڈیم" (medium) in Urdu can also refer to a spiritualist or a person who claims to have the ability to communicate with the dead. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 中 | ||
In classical Chinese, "中" also means "Hit the target" | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 中 | ||
In certain contexts, "中" can also mean "hit" or "inside". | |||
Japanese | 中 | ||
The kanji 中 (なか) can also mean 'in', 'between', or 'center'. | |||
Korean | 매질 | ||
매질 can also be short for 매물 (real estate for sale). | |||
Mongolian | дунд | ||
In Mongolian, some scholars believe that the word "дунд" was borrowed from the Tibetan word "དབུ", meaning "head" or "top". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အလယ်အလတ် | ||
In Myanmar mythology, it also refers to the middle-world sandwiched between the heavenly and earthly realms. |
Indonesian | medium | ||
"Medium" (ukuran) comes from Dutch "middel", and "medium" (perantara) from Latin "medium" (middle). | |||
Javanese | medium | ||
The Javanese word "medium" also refers to the middle finger of the hand | |||
Khmer | មធ្យម | ||
The word "មធ្យម" can also be used in Khmer to mean "ordinary" or "average." | |||
Lao | ກາງ | ||
The word ກາງ also means halfway, central, middle, and to measure. | |||
Malay | sederhana | ||
Sederhana is the Malay spelling of the Sanskrit word sadharana, meaning 'common' or 'ordinary'. | |||
Thai | ปานกลาง | ||
The word "ปานกลาง" in Thai translates to "medium," but is also used to express moderation or balance. | |||
Vietnamese | trung bình | ||
The word "trung bình" in Vietnamese can also refer to an "intermediate" or "normal" state. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | daluyan | ||
Azerbaijani | orta | ||
The word "orta" is also used to describe the middle finger, as it is considered the "medium" finger between the index and ring fingers. | |||
Kazakh | орташа | ||
In Kazakh, "орташа" also means "moderate" or "average". | |||
Kyrgyz | орто | ||
The word "орто" in Kyrgyz also means "middle" or "in the middle." | |||
Tajik | миёна | ||
"Миёна" also refers to the middle layer of soil in agriculture. | |||
Turkmen | orta | ||
Uzbek | o'rta | ||
"Orta" can also mean "central" or "centre" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | ئوتتۇراھال | ||
Hawaiian | waena | ||
In Hawaiian, the term "waena" also means "middle" or "between". | |||
Maori | reo | ||
Reo in Māori can also mean language. | |||
Samoan | feoloolo | ||
The term "feoloolo" in Samoan is also used to refer to a person who acts as an intermediary or go-between. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | daluyan | ||
"Daluyan" in Tagalog can also refer to a channel or a passageway. |
Aymara | chika | ||
Guarani | mbyte | ||
Esperanto | meza | ||
Esperanto's "meza" shares its root "mez-" with "met-" (middle), "inter-" (between), and "mi-" (half), which can be seen in words like "mezuro" (measure), "intereso" (interest), and "miliono" (million). | |||
Latin | medium | ||
The word "medium" in Latin can also refer to a person who acts as an intermediary between the living and the dead. |
Greek | μεσαίο | ||
The word "Μεσαίο" is derived from the Ancient Greek word "μέσος" meaning "middle" or "intermediate". | |||
Hmong | nruab nrab | ||
The Hmong word "nruab nrab" can also mean "half" or "middle". | |||
Kurdish | medya | ||
The Kurdish word "medya" originates from the Persian word "madya" meaning "middle" or "intermediary." | |||
Turkish | orta | ||
"Orta" also means "middle" in Turkish, and can be used to describe the middle of a road, a room, or a period of time. | |||
Xhosa | phakathi | ||
The word 'phakathi' has spiritual connotations, representing the middle space between the physical and spiritual realms. | |||
Yiddish | מיטל | ||
The Yiddish word "מיטל" (medium) also means "center" or "average". | |||
Zulu | okulingene | ||
In addition to its meaning of "medium," "okulingene" can also mean "go-between" or "intermediary." | |||
Assamese | মাধ্যম | ||
Aymara | chika | ||
Bhojpuri | माध्यम | ||
Dhivehi | މީޑިއަމް | ||
Dogri | दरम्याना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | daluyan | ||
Guarani | mbyte | ||
Ilocano | medio | ||
Krio | lukin-grɔn uman | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ناوەند | ||
Maithili | माध्यम | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯝꯕꯩ | ||
Mizo | hmanrua | ||
Oromo | giddugaleessa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମଧ୍ୟମ | ||
Quechua | chawpi | ||
Sanskrit | मध्यम | ||
Tatar | урта | ||
Tigrinya | ማእኸላይ | ||
Tsonga | xikarhi | ||