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medal
- 5 dictionary resultsmed⋅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
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To medal
| med·al (měd'l) n.
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. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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