Medium ˈmiːdiəm Man Adjective Sizes—Small Large Height/Build Steak

• there are three sizes—small, medium and large.
• a man of medium height/build
• a medium steak (= one cooked quite well but not too much)
• cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes.

medium

1. in the middle between a larger and smaller size, amount, length, temperature, etc.
• SYNONYM average
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/average_2
• There are three sizes—small, medium and large.
• a man of medium height/build
• a medium steak (= one cooked quite well but not too much)
• Cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes.
• a medium dry white wine
• Choose medium to large tomatoes.

Extra Examples

• He is a man of medium build, with receding grey hair and a moustache.
• Put the eggs in a medium saucepan.
• There are hundreds of small and medium enterprises developing software in Brazil.
2. used to describe what will happen a long, short, etc. time in the future
• Such a development seems unlikely, at least in the short term (= it will not happen for quite a long time).
• In the longer term, children of depressed mothers are more likely to suffer from childhood depression.
• In the long term, our efforts will pay off.

Word Origin

• late 16th cent. (originally denoting something intermediate in nature or degree): from Latin, literally ‘middle’, neuter of medius.