THE
`
`AMERICAN HER|TAGE®
`
`DICTIONARY
`
`OF THE ENGLISH
`
`LANGUAGE
`
`THIRD EDITION
`
`1
`
`TS 1016
`
`

`
`Houghton Mifflin Co
`Data Central, Inc., pro
`for its assistance i
`The Amer
`
`mpany gratefully acknowledges Mead
`viders of the LEXISE’/NEXIS® services,
`n the preparation of this edition of
`ican Heritage® Dictionary.
`
`Library of Congress Cataloging—in-Publication Data
`The American herita
`— 3rd ed.
`ge dictionary of the English language.
`p.
`cm.
`
`ISBN O—395-44895-6
`1. English language—Dictionaries.
`PE1628.A623
`1992
`423 —dc20
`Manufactured in the United States of America
`
`92-851
`CIP
`
`the World Wide Web
`at http://WWW.hmco.c0rn/trade/,
`
`2
`
`

`
`medication
`
`1121
`
`tor, from medéri‘, to heal. See med- in Appendix.] —med/i-cu’-
`live adj‘.
`I. A medicine; a medica-
`med-i-ca-tion (med'i-kalshan) n.
`ment. 2. The act or process of treating with medicine. 3. Ad-
`ministration of medicine.
`Med-i-ci
`(med/s-ché’, mé'de-). Italian noble family that pro-
`duced three popes (Leo X, Clement VII, and Leo XI) and two
`queens of France (Catherine de Médicis and Marie de Médicis).
`Cosimo “the Elder” (1389-1464) was the first of the family to
`rule Florence. Lorenzo “the Magnificent” (1449-1492) was an
`outstanding patron of learning and the arts, whose clients includ-
`ed Michelangelo. —Med’i-cetun (-chélan, -sel-) adj.
`me-dic-i-nal
`(mi—dis/a—nal) adj.
`I. Of, relating to, or having
`the properties of medicine. 2. Having an unappealing, bitter fla-
`vor. —me-dicli-nal-Iy adv.
`med-i-cine (medfi-sin) n. Abbr. med. Lu. The science of
`diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease and other damage to
`the body or mind. b. The branch of this science encompassing
`treatment by drugs, diet, exercise, and other nonsurgical means.
`2. The practice of medicine. 3. An agent, such as a drug, used to
`treat disease or injury. 4. Something, such as corrective disci-
`pline or punishment, that is unpleasant but necessary or unavoid-
`able. 5. a. Shamanistic practices or beliefs, especially among Na-
`tive Americans. b. Something, such as a ritual practice or sacred
`object, believed to control natural or supernatura powers or serve
`as a preventive or remedy. -attributive. Often used to modify
`another noun: a medicine cabinet; medicine bottles.
`[Middle Eng-
`lish, from Old French, from Latin medicina, from feminine of
`medicinus, of a doctor, from medicus, physician. See MEDICAL]
`medicine
`n. Sports. A large, heavy stu ed ball used in
`conditioning exercises.
`Med-i-cine Bow Mountains (méd/i-sin ho’). A range of
`the eastern Rocky Mountains in southeast Wyoming and northern
`Colorado. It rises to 3,664 in (12,013 ft) at Medicine Bow Peak in
`south-central Wyoming.
`medicine bundle n. A covered or wrapped parcel containing
`items of personal or tribal religious significance, used by certain
`Native American peoples.
`medicine dance n. A ritual dance performed by some Native
`American peoples to obtain supernatural assistance, as in healing
`or crop control.
`(hat). A city of southeast Alberta, Canada, near
`Medicine Hat
`the Saskatchewan border southeast of Calgary. Founded in 1883,
`it is a trade center. Population, 40,380.
`medicine lodge n. A building or structure used by some Na-
`tive American peoples for ceremonies.
`medicine man n.
`‘I. A shaman, especially a Native American
`shaman. 2. A hawker of brews and potions among the audience
`in a medicine show.
`medicine show 11. A traveling show, popular especially in the
`19th century, that offered varied entertainment, between the acts
`of which medicines were peddled.
`med
`k (médlik) n. Variant of medic i.
`med-I-co (medli-k6’) n., pl. -cos.
`Informal. 1. A physician.
`2. A medical student.
`[Italian medico or Spanish médico, both
`from Latin medicus. See MEDICAL]
`med-i-co-le-gal
`(médli-ko-lélgal) adj. Of, relating to, or
`concerned with medicine and law.
`[Latin medicus, physician; see
`MEDICAL + LEGAL]
`(méidé-elval, med’é-) adj.
`me-di-e-val
`also me-di-ue-val
`Abbr. med., M.
`I. Relating or belonging to the Middle Ages. 2.
`Informal. Old-fashioned; unenlightened: parents with a medieval
`attitude toward dating.
`[From New Latin medium aevum, the
`middle age : Latin, neuter of medias, middle; see medhyo- in
`Appendix + Latin aevum, age; see uiw- in Appendix] —me’-
`di-elvul-ly adv.
`Me-di-e-val Greek (mé'dé-elval, med'é-) n. Abbr. Med.
`Gr. The Greek language as used from about 800 to about 1500.
`me-di-e-val-ism also me-di-ae-valrism (mé’de—e7va-
`liz’am, me-d’é—) n.
`‘I. The spirit or the body of beliefs, customs,
`or practices of the Middle Ages. 2. Devotion to or acceptance of
`the ideas of the Middle Ages. 3. Study of the Middle Ages.
`me-di-e-val-ist
`also me-di-ae~vu|-ist
`(me'dé—é'va-list,
`méd-é-) n.
`‘I. A specialist in the study of the Middle Ages. 2. A
`connoisseur of medieval culture.
`Medieval Latin n. Abbr. Med. Lat. The Latin language as
`used from about 700 to about 1500.
`Me-dill
`(ma-dill), Joseph. 1823-1899. American newspaper-
`man who was a founder of the Republican Party (1854).
`me-di-nu (mi-délna) n. The old section of an Arab city in
`North Africa.
`[Arabic madina, city.]
`Me-di-nu (mi—deIna). A city of western Saudi Arabia north of
`Mecca. Mohammed lived here after fleeing from Mecca in 622. The
`Mosque of the Prophet, containing Mohammed's tomb, is a holy
`site for Moslem pilgrims. Population, 290,000.
`Me - di ' nu-Si ' do ' hid (ma—dé (na—si-don/ya, mé-théVni«i-sé-
`tholnya), Seventh Duke of. Title of Alonso Perez de Guzman.
`1550-1619. Spanish naval officer who led the Spanish Armada
`to utter defeat by English forces (1588).
`me-di-o-cre (mé'dé-olkar) adj. Moderate to inferior in qual-
`ity; ordinary. See Synonyms at average.
`[French médiocre, from
`Latin mediocris : medias, middle; see medhyo- in Appendix +
`ocris, a rugged mountain; see uk- in Appendix]
`
`I. The state or
`me-di-oc-ri-ty (me'dé—ok’ri-te) n., pl. -ties.
`quality of being mediocre. 2. Mediocre ability, achievement, or
`performance. 3. One that displays mediocre qualities. —me-
`di-oclri-tize'
`(-tiz') v. —rne-di-o:'ri~t|-zclltion n.
`Medi
`abbr. Mediterranean.
`-tut-ed, -tat-ing, -totes. —tr. 1.
`med-I-tote (med/i-tat’) v.
`To reflect on; contemplate. 2. To plan in the mind; intend: med-
`itated a visit to her daughter. —intr.
`‘I. To consider or reflect at
`length. 2. To engage in contemplation, especially of a spiritual or
`devotional nature. See Synonyms at ponder.
`[Latin medittiri,
`meditiit—. See med- in Appendix] —medIi-tu'tor n.
`med-i-ta-tion (med’I-talshsn) n. 1.0. The act or process of
`meditating. b. A devotional exercise of or leading to contempla-
`tion. 2. A contemplative discourse, usually on a religious or phil-
`osophical subject. —med’i-tuition-al adj.
`med-i-ta-tive (med/i—ta’tiv) adj. Characterized by or prone
`to meditation. See Synonyms at pensive. —med!i-tcI'tiva-ly
`adv. —medIi-ta'tive-ness n.
`med-i-ter-ra-ne-an (méd/i—ta—ra7ne-an, —ranlyan) adj.
`Surrounded nearly or completely by dry land. Used of large bodies
`of water, such as lakes or seas.
`[Latin mediterrdneus, inland :
`medius, middle; see medhyo- in Appendix + term, land; see ters-
`in Appendix.]
`WORD HISTORY: When one hears the word mediterranean, one
`thinks of a specific place and perhaps of the great cultures that
`have surrounded it. But the word can also apply to any large body
`of water that is surrounded completely or almost completely by
`dry land. This usage goes back to the use in Late Latin of the
`Latin word mediterrzineus, the source of our word, as part of the
`name Mediterrdneum mare for the mostly landlocked Mediterra-
`nean Sea. But Latin mediterraneus, which is derived from medias,
`“the middle of, the heart of, ” and term, “land," in Classical Latin
`actually meant “remote from the coast, inland.” In Late Latin, in
`referring to the sea, mediterrdneus probably meant originally “in
`the middle of the earth" rather than “surrounded by land," for to
`the Mediterranean cultures without knbwledge. of much of the
`earth, the Mediterranean Sea was in the center of the world. Our
`word mediterranean is first recorded in English in 1594 as the
`name of the sea.
`
`Med-i-ter-ra-ne-an (méd’i—te—ra7né—an). Abbr. Medit. The
`region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the most an-
`cient civilizations flourished in the region, which was dominated
`for millenniums by Phoenicia, Carthage, Greece, Sicily, and Rome.
`—Med'i-ter-raIne~an adj. & n.
`Mediterranean fever n. See brucellosis (sense 1).
`Mediterranean flour moth n. A small, pale gray moth
`(Anagasta kuehniella) now found worldwide, the larvae of which
`destroy flour and other stored grain products.
`Mediterranean f|‘UiI‘ fly n. A black and white two-Winged
`fly (Ceratitis capitata.) found in many warm regions of the world,
`the larvae of which destroy citrus and other fruit crops.
`Mediterranean Sea. An inland sea surrounded by Europe,
`Asia, Asia Minor, the Near East, and Africa. It connects with the
`Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar; with the Black Sea
`through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus;
`and with the Red Sea through the Suez Canal.
`me-di-um (me/dé-am) n., pl. -di-a (-dé-a) or -di-ums.
`Abbr. med., m., M. 1. Something, such as an intermediate course
`of action, that occupies a position or represents a condition mid-
`way between extremes. 2. An intervening substance through
`which something else is transmitted or carried on. 3. An agency
`by which something is accomplished, conveyed, or transferred:
`The train was the usual medium of transportation in those days.
`4. pl. media. Usage Problem.
`cl. A means of mass communica-
`tion, such as newpapers, magazines, radio, or television. b. me-
`dia (used with a sing. or pl. verb). The group of journalists and
`others who constitute the communications industry and profes-
`sion. 5. pl. mediums. A person thought to have the power to
`communicate with the spirits of the dead or with agents of an-
`other world or dimension. Also called psychic. 6. pl. media. a.
`A surrounding environment in which something functions and
`thrives. b. The substance in which a specific organism lives and
`thrives.
`:. A culture medium. 1.o. A specific kind of artistic
`technique or means of expression as determined by the materials
`used or the creative methods involved: the medium of lithography.
`b. The materials used in a specific artistic technique: oils as a
`medium. 8. A solvent with which paint is thinned to the proper
`consistency. 9. Chemistry. A filtering substance, such as filter
`paper.
`‘ID. A size of paper, usually 18 X 23 inches or 1'7‘/2 X 22
`inches. —medium adj. Abbr. med., m., M. Occurring or being
`between two degrees, amounts, or quantities; intermediate: broil a
`medium steak. See Synonyms at average.
`[Latin, from neuter of
`medius, middle. See medhyo- in AppendiX.]
`USAGE NOTE: The etymologically plural form media is often
`used as a singular to refer to a particular means of communica-
`tion, as in This is the most exciting new media since television.
`This usage is widely regarded as incorrect; medium is preferred. A
`stronger case can be made in defense of the use of media as a
`collective term, as in The media has not shown much interest in
`covering the issue. As with the analogous words data and agenda,
`the originally plural form has begun to acquire a sense that de-
`parts from that of the singular: used as a collective term, media
`
`Lorenzo de Medici
`c. 1485 terra-cotta bust by
`Andrea del Verrocchio
`
`--—j..._______.
`oi boy
`ou out
`6?) took
`(R) boot
`it cut
`fir urge
`th thin
`th this
`hw which
`zh vision
`a about, item
`9 regionalism
`Stress marks:
`7 (primary);
`' (secondary). as in
`dictionary (diklsha-nér’ é)
`
`3