Median
/ˈmiː.di.ən/noun
Relating to the middle; in statistics, the middle value in an ordered set.
Did you know?Median comes from Latin *medianus* (“of the middle”), from *medius* (“middle”), and that same Indo-European root also gave us words tied to measuring, moderation, and the idea of being “in between.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*medhyo-
“middle, in the middle”
Latin
Latin
medius
“middle, central”
Late Latin
Latin
medianus
“of the middle; central”
Middle French
Old French
median
“middle, central”
16th Century
English
median
“pertaining to the middle”
19th Century
English
median
“the middle value in a set of numbers”