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medal Definition

medal (med'l)

noun

  1. a small, flat piece of metal with a design or inscription stamped or inscribed on it, made to commemorate some event, or awarded for some distinguished action, merit, etc.
  2. a similar piece of metal with a religious figure or design, worn or carried as an aid to piety

Etymology: Fr médaille < It medaglia < VL *medalia, a small coin < *medialia < LL medialis, medial

transitive verb -·aled or -·alled, -·al·ing or -·al·ling

Rare to honor with a medal

medal Related Forms

me·dal·lic (mə dalik) adjective

medal Synonyms

medal

n.

medal Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • win: We've won a medal at the Winter Olympics!
  • deserve: In our book anyone who is doing anything to minimize the differences between browsers deserves a medal!
  • clinch: She clung to fourth place in the second race - just enough to clinch the gold medal.

Adjective modifier

  • Olympic: Official site for Steve's triple Olympic gold medal winning rowing partner, Matthew Pinsent.
  • gold: Last year she won a gold medal in the South of England Senior Open.
  • silver: He also won a silver medal for the 200m.
  • commemorative: A total of 2,005 commemorative medals have been struck by the Royal Mint and will be awarded to the to the most deserving volunteers.
  • paralympic: Bob Matthews Hon MA Paralympic Gold medal winning blind runner Bob Matthews lives in Leamington Spa.

Modifies a noun

  • tally: Having won 31 medals, four of which were gold, Wales has more than doubled the Kuala Lumpur medal tally.
  • haul: The final medal haul for the TTA team was 6 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze.
  • winner: Why do the children think medal winners get to stand on a podium?
  • rostrum: What went through your mind on the medal rostrum?

Noun used with modifier

  • bronze: Press releases of the time relate to Edwin winning over 80 gold, silver or bronze medals.
  • gold: Last year she was also three gold medals in the under 17 age group.
  • silver: Jessica Mendoza, aged nine, was the youngest member of the English squad, which went on to clinch a team silver medal.
  • gallantry: The most famous gallantry medal is the Victoria Cross.
  • runner-up: With two sets each of winners and runners-up medals, all the London players could be proud of their performances.

Preposition: with

clasp: Served in the South African war gaining Queen's medal with 5 clasps.

Preposition: for

  • bravery: He received medals for bravery but sent them back because he felt he didn`t deserve them.
  • gallantry: These included medals for gallantry, distinguished service and those bestowed by Allied governments.