mĕdĭus, a, um, adj. [Sanscr. madhya, the same; Gr. μέσος; Angl. - Sax. midd; Germ. Mitte; cf. dimidius, meridies (medi-), etc.], that is in the middle or midst, mid, middle (class.).
I Adj.
A Lit.: terra complexa medium mundi locum, Cic. Rep. 6, 18, 18; cf. id. ib. 6, 17, 17: medium mundi locum petere, id. Tusc. 5, 24, 69: versus aeque prima, et media, et extrema pars attenditur, id. de Or. 3, 50, 192: ultimum, proximum, medium tempus, id. Prov. Cons. 18, 43: in foro medio, in the midst of the forum , Plaut. Curc. 4, 1, 14; Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 6; cf.: medio foro, in the open forum , Suet. Claud. 18 al.: in solio medius consedit, sat in the middle , Ov. F. 3, 359; Verg. A. 7, 169: considit scopulo medius, id. G. 4, 436: concilio medius sedebat, Ov. M. 10, 144: ignes, Verg. A. 12, 201: medio tempore, in the meantime, meanwhile , Suet. Caes. 76: vinum novum, vetus, medium, i. e. neither old nor new , Varr. ap. Gell. 13, 31, 14: cum plenus fluctu medius foret alveus, full to the middle , Juv. 12, 30.—With dat.: Peloponnesii Megaram, mediam Corintho Athenisque urbem, condidere, midway between Corinth and Athens , Vell. 1, 2, 4.—With abl.: si medius Polluce et Castore ponar, between , Ov. Am. 2, 16, 13.—With inter : cum inter bellum et pacem medium nihil sit, there is no medium, no middle course between , Cic. Phil. 8, 1, 4: inter quos numeros duo medii inveniuntur (sc. numeri), Mart. Cap. 7, § 737.—With gen.: locus medius regionum earum, half-way between , Caes. B. G. 4, 19: locus medius juguli summique lacerti, between , Ov. M. 6, 409; 5, 564: et medius juvenum ibat, id. F. 5, 67: medius silentūm, Stat. Th. 4, 683.—With ex : medius ex tribus, Sall. J. 11, 3: medium arripere aliquem, to seize one by the middle, around the body , Ter. Ad. 316: juvenem medium complectitur, Liv. 23, 9, 9: Alcides medium tenuit, held him fast by the middle , Luc. 4, 652: medium ostendere unguem, to point with the middle finger , Juv. 10, 53.—
2 Transf., half (ante- and postclass.): hieme demunt cibum medium, half their food , Varr. R. R. 3, 7, 9: scrupulum croci, Pall. Jan. 18: aurum ... Italicis totum, medium provincialibus reddidit, Capitol. Anton. Pius, 4 fin. —
B Trop., of the middle, not very great or small, middling, medial, moderate .
1 Of age: aetatis mediae vir, of middle age , Phaedr. 2, 2, 3.—
2 Of plans, purposes, etc.: nihil medium, nec spem nec curam, sed immensa omnia volventes animo, Liv. 2, 49, 5: medium quiddam tenere, Plin. Ep. 4, 9, 9.—
3 Of intellect: eloquentiā medius, middling, tolerable , Vell. 2, 29, 2: ingenium, moderate , Tac. H. 1, 49.—
4 Undetermined, undecided : medios esse, i. e. neutral , Cic. Att. 10, 8, 4: medium se gerere, Liv. 2, 27: se dubium mediumque partibus praestitit, Vell. 2, 21, 1; cf.: responsum, indefinite, ambiguous , Liv. 39, 39: vocabula, that can be taken in a good or bad sense, ambiguous , Gell. 12, 9, 1. —
5 Indifferent, not imperative : officium, a duty which is not distinctly enjoined by the moral law, but is sustained by preponderant reasoning : medium officium id esse dicunt (Graeci) quod cur factum sit, ratio probabilis reddi possit, Cic. Off. 1, 3, 8; cf.: ex quo intellegitur, officium medium quiddam esse, quod neque in bonis ponatur neque in contrariis, id. Fin. 3, 17, 58; cf. sqq. and Madv. ad loc.: artes, which in themselves are neither good nor bad, indifferent , Quint. 2, 20, 1.—
6 Intermediate : medium erat in Anco ingenium, et Numae et Romuli memor, of a middle kind, resembling each in some degree , Liv. 1, 32, 4: nihil habet ista res (actoris) medium, sed aut lacrimas meretur aut risum, Quint. 6, 1, 45: ille jam paene medius adfectus est ex amoribus et desideriis amicorum, Quint. 6, 2, 17.—Hence, as subst.: mĕdĭus , i, m., one who stands or comes between, a mediator : medium sese offert, as a mediator , Verg. A. 7, 536: pacator mediusque Syphax, Sil. 16, 222: pacis eras mediusque belli, arbiter , Hor. C. 2, 19, 28; cf.: nunc mediis subeant irrita verba deis, oaths in which the gods were called upon to be mediators , Ov. R. Am. 678.—
7 Central , with ex or in : ex factione media consul, fully committed to it , Sall. H. 3, 61, 8; so (nearly = intimus), viros fortīs et magnanimos eosdem bonos et simplicīs ... esse volumus: quae sunt ex media laude justititiae, these qualities are clearly among those which make uprightness praiseworthy , Cic. Off. 1, 19, 63: partitiones oratoriae, quae e media illa nostra Academia effloruerunt, id. Part. Or. 40, 139: ingressio e media philosophia repetita est, id. Or. 3, 11; id. Leg. 2, 21, 53: in medio maerore et dolore, id. Tusc. 4, 29, 63; id. Q. Fr. 2, 15, 1: in media dimicatione, the hottest of the fight , Suet. Aug. 10; cf.: in medio ardore certaminis, Curt. 8, 4, 27: in media solitudine, the most profound , Sen. Brev. Vit. 12, 2: in mediis divitiis, in abundant wealth , id. Vit. Beat. 26, 1: in medio robore virium, Liv. 28, 35, 6: in medio ardore belli, id. 24, 45, 4: in media reipublicae luce, the full blaze of public life , Quint. 1, 2, 18: media inter pocula, Juv. 8, 217.—Hence,
II Subst.: mĕdĭum , ii, n., the middle, midst .
A Lit.
1 Of space (very rare in Cic.): in medio aedium sedens, Liv. 1, 57, 9: maris, id. 31, 45, 11; for which, without in , medio aedium eburneis sellis sedere, id. 5, 41, 2: medio viae ponere, id. 37, 13, 10: in agmine in primis modo, modo in postremis, saepe in medio adesse, Sall. J. 45, 2; for which, without in , medio sextam legionem constituit, Tac. A. 13, 38: medio montium porrigitur planities, id. ib. 1, 64: medio stans hostia ad aras, Verg. G. 3, 486: medio tutissimus ibis, Ov. M. 2, 137: in medium geminos immani pondere caestus Projecit, Verg. A. 5, 401: in medium sarcinas coniciunt, Liv. 10, 36, 1; 13: equitatus consulem in medium acceptum, armis protegens, in castra reduxit, id. 21, 46, 9.— Trop.: tamquam arbiter honorarius medium ferire voluisse, to cut through the middle , Cic. Fat. 17, 39: intacta invidiā media sunt, ad summa ferme tendit, Liv. 45, 35.—
2 Of time: diei, Liv. 27, 48: medio temporis, in the meantime, meanwhile , Tac. A. 13, 28; cf.: nec longum in medio tempus, cum, the interval , Verg. A. 9, 395; Ov. M. 4, 167; Plin. Ep. 7, 27, 13.—
B Transf.
1 The midst of all, the presence of all, the public, the community (class.): in medio omnibus palma est posita, qui artem tractant musicam, lies open to all , Ter. Phorm. 16: tabulae sunt in medio, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 42, § 104: rem totam in medio ponere, publicly , id. ib. 2, 1, 11, § 29: ponam in medio sententias philosophorum, id. N. D. 1, 6, 13: dicendi ratio in medio posita, lies open to all , id. de Or. 1, 3, 12: rem in medium proferre, to publish, make known , id. Fam. 15, 27, 6: vocare in medium, before the public, before a public tribunal : rem in medium vocare coeperunt, id. Clu. 28, 77: in medio relinquere, to leave it to the public, leave it undecided , id. Cael. 20, 48; Sall. C. 19, 16: pellere e medio, to expel, reject , Enn. ap. Cic. Mur. 14, 30 (Ann. v. 272 Vahl.); Cic. Off. 3, 8, 37: cum jacentia verba sustulimus e medio, adopt words from the people, common words , id. de Or. 3, 45, 177; cf.: munda sed e medio consuetaque verba puellae Scribite, Ov. A. A. 3, 479: tollere de medio, to do away with, abolish : litteras, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 71, § 176: tollere de medio, to put out of the way, cut off, destroy : hominem, id. Rosc. Am. 7, 20: de medio removere, to put out of sight , id. ib. 8, 23: e medio excedere or abire, to leave the world, to die : e medio excessit, she is dead , Ter. Phorm. 967: ea mortem obiit, e medio abiit, id. ib. 1019: tollite lumen e medio, Juv. 9, 106: recedere de medio, to go away, retire, withdraw : cur te mihi offers? recede de medio, Cic. Rosc. Am. 38, 112: in medio esse, to be present , Ter. Ad. 542: in medium venire or procedere, to appear, come forward, show one's self in public , Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 71, § 175: in medium, before the public, for the public, for the community : communes utilitates in medium afferre, id. Off. 1, 7, 22: consulere in medium, to care for the public good, for the good of all , Verg. A. 11, 335; so opp. separantem suas res a publicis, Liv. 24, 22, 14 sq.; 26, 12, 7: quaerere, to make acquisitions for the use of all , Verg. G. 1, 127: cedere, to fall or devolve to the community , Tac. H. 4, 64: conferre laudem, i. e. so that all may have a share of it , Liv. 6, 6: dare, to communicate for the use of all , Ov. M. 15, 66: in medium conferre, in gaming, to put down, put in the pool , Suet. Aug. 71: in medio, for sub dio, in the open air : scorpios fugari posse, si aliqui ex eis urantur in medio, Pall. 1, 35, 12.—
2 A half (ante-class. and post-Aug.): scillae medium conterunt cum aqua, Varr. R. R. 2, 7: scrobem ad medium completo, Col. Arb. 4, 5.—Hence,
III Adv.: mĕdĭē , in the middle, in a middling degree, moderately, tolerably (except once in Tac. only post-class.): qui noluerant medie, kept quiet, remained neutral , Tac. H. 1, 19: nec plane optimi, nec oppido deterrimi sunt, sed quasi medie morati, Ap. Dogm. Plat. 2, p. 22, 23; Eutr. 7, 13; Lact. 6, 15 fin. : ortus medie humilis, Aur. Vict. Caes. 20.—
2 Indefinitely , Ambros. in Luc. 8, 17, 34.