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Medal

- 5 dictionary results

med⋅al

[med-l] noun, verb, -aled, -al⋅ing or (especially British) -alled, -al⋅ling.
–noun
1. a flat piece of metal, often a disk but sometimes a cross, star, or other form, usually bearing an inscription or design, issued to commemorate a person, action, or event, or given as a reward for bravery, merit, or the like: a gold medal for the best swimmer.
2. a similar object bearing a religious image, as of a saint: a Saint Christopher's medal.
–verb (used with object)
3. to decorate or honor with a medal.
–verb (used without object)
4. to receive a medal, esp. in a sporting event: He medaled in three of four races.

Origin:
1580–90; earlier medaille < MF < It medaglia copper coin worth a halfpenny < VL *medalia, var. (by dissimilation) of LL mediālia, n. use of neut. pl. (taken as fem. sing.) of mediālis medial
med·al   (měd'l)   
n.  
  1. A flat piece of metal stamped with a design or an inscription commemorating an event or a person, often given as an award.
  2. A piece of metal stamped with a religious device, used as an object of veneration or commemoration.
v.   med·aled also med·alled, med·al·ing also med·al·ling, med·als also med·als Informal

v.   intr.
To win a medal, as in a sports contest: "We were the first Americans to medal" (Jill Watson).
v.   tr.
To award a medal to.

[French médaille, from Old French, from Italian medaglia, coin worth half a denarius, medal, from Vulgar Latin *medālia, coins worth half a denarius, from Late Latin mediālia, little halves, from neuter pl. of mediālis, of the middle, medial; see medial.]
me·dal'lic (mə-dāl'ĭk) adj.

Medal

Med"al\, n. [F. m['e]daille, It. medaglia, fr. L. metallum metal, through (assumed) LL. metalleus made of metal. See Metal, and cf. Mail a piece of money.] A piece of metal in the form of a coin, struck with a device, and intended to preserve the remembrance of a notable event or an illustrious person, or to serve as a reward.

Medal

Med"al\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Medaled, or Medalled; p. pr. & vb. n. Medaling or Medalling.] To honor or reward with a medal. "Medaled by the king." --Thackeray.
Language Translation for : Medal
Spanish: medalla,
German: die Medaille, der Orden,
Japanese: メダル

medal 
1586, from M.Fr. médaille (15c.), from It. medaglia "a medal," from V.L. *metallea (moneta) "metal (coin)," from L. metallum (see metal). The other theory is that medaglia originally meant "coin worth half a denarius," and is from V.L. *medalia, from L.L. medialia "little halves," neut. pl. of medialis "of the middle" (see medial). Originally a trinket; as a reward for merit, proficiency, etc., attested from 1751.
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