Mediation
/ˌmiː.diˈeɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of intervening to help settle a dispute or bring about agreement.
Did you know?Mediation ultimately comes from Latin *mediāre*, “to be in the middle,” from *medius*; the same ancient root also gave us words like *middle* and *midst*, so the idea of “balance” is built into the word itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*medhyo-
“middle, center”
Latin
Latin
medius
“middle, in the middle”
Latin
Latin
mediāre
“to be in the middle; to intervene”
Late Latin
Latin
mediātiō
“intervening, acting as an intermediary”
Middle French
Old French
médiation
“intervention to settle a dispute”
Modern English
English
mediation
“the act of helping opposing sides reach agreement”