Media, Medium, and Mediums How to Choose the Right Word

The words media, medium, and mediums have a wide range of meanings and usages, some of which are tightly linked and some that are completely separate. All can refer to the material used by an artist to create a work of art, as in My favorite medium is acrylic paint. Medium, however, can also describe relative size (neither large nor small), while the media generally relates to electronic outlets for news and entertainment. Yet another meaning of the word medium is a person who claims to be able to communicate with the dead. How to Use Media The word media is complex because its meaning has changed dramatically over a relatively short period of time. It started out as the plural of the word medium, meaning intermediate or middle, and was also used to describe multiple artistic materials, including paint, clay, metal, and so on. Around the 1920s, the word media was first used to describe communication outlets, and the term mass media was coined. Over the decades, the term became ubiquitous and was used to describe a variety of different means of mass communication, including the news media, entertainment media, and social media. Technically, the word media should be used only as the plural of the word medium. But in recent years, media, like data and agenda, has come to be treated as singular in certain contexts  (especially in American English). Many publishers are comfortable with using the word as both a singular and a plural. How to Use Medium Medium has multiple meanings, each distinct from the others. In most cases, it is used as a noun, but it can also be used as an adjective in some circumstances. It is the singular form of media and, as such, can indicate either a single artistic material or a single communication outlet: The internet is an important medium for communication.Medium also means intermediate: neither large nor small. For example, The suspect was of medium height.A medium can be an agency for doing something or achieving a goal. For example, Technology is a medium for change.A medium can be a substance that surrounds or holds something else. For example, The petri dish contained a medium used to grow cancer cells.A medium is also an individual who claims to have the ability to communicate with the dead. For example, The medium looked into her crystal ball and saw my deceased husband. How to Use Mediums Mediums is a plural noun and is more limited in use than medium. It is also limited by the fact that a single outlet for communication may be referred to as a medium, but multiple outlets for communication are always referred to as media. Thus, the term mediums is the plural form of medium when medium is used as a noun—unless medium is used to refer to an outlet for communication. Examples Its tricky to show examples of every type of media, medium, and mediums usage, but general rules of thumb make it easier to select the right word: Media as both singular and plural: The media is a collective noun referring to the mass media (e.g., television and newspapers). Media may refer either to multiple communication outlets or to a single such outlet. At the same time, however, media is the plural of medium. Thus, The media is having a field day, is correct—but so is I work in several media, including clay and fiber.Medium as a noun or adjective: In most cases, medium is used as an adjective to describe an intermediate quality; for example, a medium-sized drink, medium steak doneness, or a happy medium between two extremes. In some cases, however, it is used as a noun to mean either a means of transmission of a force or effect or an enveloping substance. Thus, The sound travels through the medium of the air is correct, as is The best medium for growing that plant is commercial potting soil.Mediums as a plural noun: Mediums is the plural of medium, unless medium refers to an outlet of communication. Thus, although it is correct to say Janes experiment involved placing bacteria in several mediums to see if they would grow, it is incorrect to say Several mediums carried the story about the car crash in their local news segments. How to Remember the Differences Mediums, like the vast majority of English plurals, ends in the letter s, while the other two terms do not. Thus, mediums is always a plural noun.In general, if the topic is communication or the arts, media is used. If the subject is art or science, mediums is more likely to be correct.If youre describing something of intermediate size or quality and you need an adjective, choose medium.If you need someone to communicate with a loved one whos passed on, always choose a medium. Sources Briggs, Asa, and Burke, Peter (2010).  A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet. Polity Press, 2010, p.  1.Mass medium.  Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster.Media.  Macmillan Dictionary Blog, Macmillan Dictionary.