I.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. 3, 2, 18: “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. prol. 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. 5, 7, 74: “ea mortem obiit, e medio abiit,” id. ib. 5, 8, 30: “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. 3, 5, 32: “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,” App. 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.