Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

mediate en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈmidieɪt/ (US)
  • /ˈmidi.ət/ (US)

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in the 1440s in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English mediat(e) (“intermediate; intercessory”), borrowed from Late Latin mediātus, perfect passive participle of mediō (“to divide in the middle; (in Medieval Latin) to be in the middle, be or become between, mediate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from medius (“middle”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Meanings

  1. Acting through a mediating agency, indirect.
    • Vygotsky saw the development of language and mental powers as neither learned, in the ordinary way, nor emerging epigenetically, but as being social and mediate in nature, as arising from the interaction of adult and child, and as internalizing the cultural instrument of language for the processes of thought. 1989, Oliver Sacks, Seeing Voices: A Journey Into the World of the Deaf:
    • The Leibnitzio-Wolfians distinguish three acts in the process of representative cognition: — 1° the act of representing a (mediate) object to the mind; 2° the representation, or, to speak more properly, representamen, itself as an (immediate or vicarious) object exhibited to the mind; 3° the act by which the mind is conscious, immediately of the representative object, and, through it, mediately of the remote object represented. 1861, Sir William Hamilton, The Metaphysics of Sir William Hamilton, page 318:
  2. Intermediate between extremes.
    • soon the mediate clouds shall be dispell'd 1709, Mat[thew] Prior, “Charity”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:
  3. Gained or effected by a medium or condition.
    • mediate positive proof 1605, Francis Bacon, “(please specify |book=1 or 2)”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for Henrie Tomes, […], →OCLC:
    • The attempt of members of a society to observe and preserve mediate phases of acts in recurrent situations brings about the perpetuation of a mediate field in their society, in which a complex series of abstracted implements are prepared or premediated in advance of future acts. 2019, W. Kang, G. H. Mead’s Concept of Rationality, page 86:

Deriveds

mediateness · mediately

Relateds

immediate · immediately

Translations (2)

sv medelbar (acting through a mediating agency) · sv indirekt (acting through a mediating agency)

wikipedia: Middle English

mediate en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈmidieɪt/ (US)

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in the 1440s in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English mediat(e) (“intermediate; intercessory”), borrowed from Late Latin mediātus, perfect passive participle of mediō (“to divide in the middle; (in Medieval Latin) to be in the middle, be or become between, mediate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from medius (“middle”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To resolve differences, or to bring about a settlement, between conflicting parties.
    • Negotiators managed to mediate a ceasefire.
  2. (intransitive) To intervene between conflicting parties in order to resolve differences or bring about a settlement.
    • "Nay," replied Charles, gravely, "this is carrying your anger too far. Allow me to mediate between you. I must entreat, nay, I command, the Lady Francesca's presence." 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XLII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 352:
  3. To divide into two equal parts.
    • Then, Meaſuring Land, by vvalking over it, they ſtyled a Double-ſtep (i.e. the Space from the elevation of one Foot, to the ſame Foot ſet dovvn again, mediated by a ſtep of the other Foot) a Pace, equal to 5 Foot; a Thouſand of vvhich Paces made a Mile, vvhich is a Meaſure ſerving for any diſtance on Earth, and even for the Height of the Sphears. 1694, William Holder, “Of Measure in General. § More Particularly of Time; and Difficulties Concerning It.”, in A Discourse Concerning Time, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall, for L[uke] Meredith, […], →OCLC, page 6:
  4. To act as an intermediary causal or communicative agent; to convey.
    • He had some advantage in the difference of our weapons; for his sword, as I recollect, was longer than mine, […] His obvious malignity of purpose never for a moment threw him off his guard, and he exhausted every feint and strategem proper to the science of defence; while, at the same time, he mediated the most desperate catastrophe to our rencounter. 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter XII, in Rob Roy. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, pages 251–252:
    • [A]s much as language in our modern technological world is mediated through the written word, quantitatively spoken language still reigns supreme. 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 8:
  5. To act as a spiritualistic medium.
  6. To communicate via media; to frame; to provide a cultural narrative about.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
mediating Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
mediates Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
mediated Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
mediated Tense=Past lexicographic

Deriveds

mediatingly · mediatable · mediative · nonmediated · immunomediate · antibody-mediated rejection · unmediated · electromediated · hypermediated · telemediated · nonmediating

Relateds

medium · median · mediation · mediator · intermediate · mean

Translations (33)

fi välittää (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · el μεσολαβώ (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · got 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌿𐌼𐍉𐌽 (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · sh pòsredovati (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · es terciar (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · grc μεσιτεύω (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · sh pòsredovati (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · de schlichten (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · de vermitteln (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · uk опосередкува́ти (6. act as communicative agent) · es mediar (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · sv medla (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · sv medla (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · it mediare (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · lv būt par vidutāju (6. act as communicative agent) · mk посредува (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · ro media (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · fi sovitella (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · fi sovitella (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · uk опосередко́вувати (6. act as communicative agent) · eo peri (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · cmn 經調解達成 /经调解达成 (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · hu közvetít (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · sv förhandla (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · fi välittää (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · cmn 調解 /调解 (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · sv förlika (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · es mediar (3. to divide) · fi toimia välittäjänä (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · it mediare (1. (transitive) resolve differences) · hu közbenjár (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · es mediar (2. (intransitive) intervene between conflicting parties) · bg посреднича (1. (transitive) resolve differences)

wikipedia: Middle English