media

¹

[ mee-dee-uh ]

noun

1. a plural of medium none.
2. (usually used with a plural verb) the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet, that reach or influence people widely:

   The media are covering the speech tonight.

adjective

1. pertaining to or concerned with such means:

   a job in media research.

media

²

[ mee-dee-uh ]

noun

, plural me·di·ae [mee, -dee-ee].

1. Greek Grammar. a voiced plosive, as β, δ, γ.
2. Anatomy. the middle layer of an artery or lymphatic vessel.
3. Entomology. a longitudinal vein in the middle portion of the wing of an insect.

Media

³

[ mee-dee-uh ]

noun

1. an ancient country in W Asia, S of the Caspian Sea, corresponding generally to NW Iran. : Ecbatana.

Media

¹

/ ˈmiːdɪə /

noun

1. an ancient country of SW Asia, south of the Caspian Sea: inhabited by the Medes; overthrew the Assyrian Empire in 612 bc in alliance with Babylonia; conquered by Cyrus the Great in 550 bc ; corresponds to present-day NW Iran

media

²

/ ˈmɛdɪə /

noun

1. the middle layer of the wall of a blood or lymph vessel
2. one of the main veins in the wing of an insect
3. phonetics
   1. a consonant whose articulation lies midway between that of a voiced and breathed speech sound
   2. a consonant pronounced with weak voice, as c in French second

media

³

/ ˈmiːdɪə /

noun

1. See medium
   a plural of medium
2. the means of communication that reach large numbers of people, such as television, newspapers, and radio

adjective

1. of or relating to the mass media

   media hype

Usage Note

Media, like data, is the plural form of a word borrowed directly from Latin. The singular, medium, early developed the meaning “an intervening agency, means, or instrument” and was first applied to newspapers two centuries ago. In the 1920s media began to appear as a singular collective noun, sometimes with the plural medias. This singular use is now common in the fields of mass communication and advertising, but it is not frequently found outside them: The media is (or are ) not antibusiness.

Usage

When media refers to the mass media, it is sometimes treated as a singular form, as in: the media has shown great interest in these events. Many people think this use is incorrect and that media should always be treated as a plural form: the media have shown great interest in these events

Word History and Origins

Origin of media¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of media²

First recorded in 1835–45; from Late Latin (grammar sense only), noun use of feminine singular of Latin medius “middle”; mid ¹( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of media¹

C19: from Latin medius middle

Example Sentences

Direct-to-consumer brands are increasing their spending on Snapchat this year as part of the ongoing push to diversify media budgets.

From Digiday

Tim Hortons didn’t disclose the amount of its latest fundraise but noted in a social media post that the proceeds will be used for opening more stores, building its digital infrastructure, brand presence and more.

From TechCrunch

Geetha Ranganathan, a media analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, estimates that Paramount Plus will need to more than double that total to 40 million to 50 million to be successful.

From Washington Post

Psychologists have even observed how people respond naturally and socially towards media artefacts like computers and televisions.

From Singularity Hub 

SEO connects your media team to your user experience team, and collaboration between the two is necessary to bridge the gap in 2021 and beyond.

From Search Engine Watch

In 2011 LGBT media outlet Queerty took the app to task for allegedly deleting accounts that made reference to being trans.

From The Daily Beast

Much of the media coverage around eating disorders surrounds celebrities and models.

From The Daily Beast

Unconfirmed reports in the French media claimed that the brothers were spotted at a gas station in northern France on Thursday.

From The Daily Beast

Duke was a state representative whose neo-Nazi alliances were disgorged in media reports during his run for governor in 1991.

From The Daily Beast

The media tend to frame situations like this as aberrations, but in this case, quite the opposite is the truth.

From The Daily Beast

It is especially useful with cultures upon serum media, but is applicable also to the sputum.

From Project Gutenberg

The gonococcus is distinguished by its failure to grow upon ordinary media.

From Project Gutenberg

By far the most frequent exciting causes of acute otitis media are the pneumococcus and the streptococcus.

From Project Gutenberg

The question of vernaculars as media of instruction is of national importance; neglect of the vernaculars means national suicide.

From Project Gutenberg

No doubt this was due to the nature of the media in which he mainly worked, the masque and the 138 song-book.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• news
• publishing
• radio
• television

What Is The Plural Of Media?

Plural word for media

Media is the plural form of the singular noun medium. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -um are also formed in this way, including memorandum/memoranda, datum/data, and bacterium/bacteria. 

The irregular plural media derives directly from its original pluralization in Latin. 

While less common, the standard English plural form mediums is also valid for some definitions of this term, such as in the sense of “a person through whom the spirits of the dead are alleged to be able to contact the living.” 

Like data, media can be treated as either a singular collective noun or a plural noun, depending on context and meaning. For instance, when describing mass media (“a collection of different media that a general population can access, like newspapers and radio programs”), media can be treated as a singular collective noun.