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

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

transitive verb medaled or medalled, medaling or medalling

Rare to honor with a medal

Related Forms:

See medal in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. A flat piece of metal stamped with a design or an inscription commemorating an event or a person, often given as an award.
  2. A piece of metal stamped with a religious device, used as an object of veneration or commemoration.
verb med·aled also med·alled, med·al·ing also med·al·ling, med·als also med·als
Informal
verb, intransitive
To win a medal, as in a sports contest: “We were the first Americans to medal” (Jill Watson).
verb, transitive
To award a medal to.

Origin:

Origin: French médaille

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Italian medaglia, coin worth half a denarius, medal

Origin: , from Vulgar Latin *medālia, coins worth half a denarius

Origin: , from Late Latin mediālia, little halves

Origin: , from

Origin: neuter pl. of mediālis, of the middle, medial; see medial

.

Related Forms:

  • me·dalˈlic (mə-dălˈĭk) adjective

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