Is “media” plural or singular?
Here’s an unnecessarily knotty plural/singular noun form in English: media. Is media singular or plural? What does the word media mean, and how should it be used in conversation and writing? All of which will be explained throughout the remainder of this post; naturally, and as expected.
What does the word “media” mean?
Media singular is medium, in most cases. Media can also be used as a mass noun, which are non-countable nouns with singular noun forms. Mass nouns refer to things that are either unquantifiable, or extraordinarily difficult to quantify; for example, the concept of justice is a mass noun that is non-countable. Also, milk, gold, and jewelry are all non-count nouns with no plural noun form. Mass nouns nouns come ‘as is‘ so to speak. Media is understood and by Dictionary.com as,
The means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet, that reach or influence people widely: The media are covering the speech tonight.
The news, as an example, is a type of medium by which we consume information about what is going on in the world, and current events. Another understanding of medium as a noun is, “a person who says that they can receive messages from people who are dead“. The correct plural here is mediums rather than media. (Cambridge Dictionary, medium.)
The origin of medium/media
Medium is a Latin word, and similar to other nouns inherited from Latin to Modern English (e.g., bacterium: bacteria; criterion: criteria) , medium/media likewise exchanges the –um as a sing. n. with –a as a pl. n. form:
| singular | plural |
| phenomenon | phenomena or phenomenons |
| criterion | criteria |
| bacterion | bacteria |
| medium | media |
| datum | data |
| spectrum | spectra or spectrums |
Media, from 1580s, “a middle ground, quality, or degree; that which holds a middle place or position,” from Latin medium “the middle, midst, center; interval.” As a not of usage, media is regularly used as a compound noun to form the term ‘social media‘, which refers to media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the rest of the ‘socials‘.
“Media”, used in sentences
1. All forms of online media are exploding in a similar fashion.
2. Autocrats can hold power indefinitely if they control the media, the military, business, the money, and information.
3. There were no media reports, but one intelligence spot report described the carnage.
4. He’s very adept at dealing with the media.
5. The government has accused the media of bias.
Examples of “medium” in sentences
1. Foods that contain only medium levels of sodium are bread, cakes, milk, butter and margarine.
2. The thief was of medium build.
3. These shirts are all mediums and I take a large.
4. Cinema is a medium of mass entertainment.
5. Her preferred medium is sculpture.
Origin of the word medium/media
Media, from 1580s, “a middle ground, quality, or degree; that which holds a middle place or position,” from Latin medium “the middle, midst, center; interval.”
What’s the difference between they’re, their, and there?
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