me·di·an / ˈmēdēən/ • adj. 1. denoting or relating to a value or quantity lying at the midpoint of a frequency distribution of observed values or quantities, such that there is an equal probability of falling above or below it: the median duration of this treatment was four months. ∎  denoting the middle term of a series arranged in order of magnitude, or (if there is no middle term) the average of the middle two terms. For example, the median number of the series 55, 62, 76, 85, 93 is 76. 2. technical, chiefly Anat. situated in the middle, esp. of the body: the median part of the sternum. • n. 1. the median value of a range of values: acreages ranged from one to fifty-two with a median of twenty-four. 2. (also median strip) the strip of land between the lanes of opposing traffic on a divided highway. 3. Geom. a straight line drawn from any vertex of a triangle to the middle of the opposite side. DERIVATIVES: me·di·an·ly adv.

Median

The middle value in a group of measurements.

In statistics, the median represents the middle value in a group of measurements. It is a commonly used indicator of what measurement is typical or normal for a group. The median is joined by the mean and the mode to create a grouping called measures of central tendency. Although the mean is used more frequently than the median, the median is still an important measure of central tendency because it is not affected by the presence or a score that is extremely high or extremely low relative to the other numbers in the group.

See also Mode

Further Reading

Peavy, J. Virgil. Descriptive Statistics: Measures of Central

Tendency and Dispersion. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services/Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, 1981.

EXAMPLE

125-128-129-129-129-130-130-131-133

The median is 129.

median 1 In statistics, a type of average . In a group of numbers as many numbers of the group are larger than the median as are smaller. In the group 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 19, the median is 9, three numbers being larger and three smaller. When there is an even number of numerals in the group, the median is usually defined as the number halfway between the middle pair. 2 In geometry, the line segment connecting any vertex of a triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side; the three medians of a triangle intersect in a single point, called the median point, or centroid. The median of a trapezoid is the line segment connecting the midpoints of the nonparalled opposite sides.

median In statistics, the middle item in a group found by ranking the items from smallest to largest. In the series, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, for example, the median is 7. With an even number of items, the mean of the two middle items is taken as the median. Thus in the series 2, 3, 7, 9, the median is 5.

median (mee-di-ăn)
1. adj. (in anatomy) situated in or denoting the plane that divides the body into right and left halves.

2. n. (in statistics) the middle observation of a series arranged in ascending order. See also mean.

median In statistics, the average as defined by the central value in a data set when the data set is ordered by value.

median The middle number or value in a series of numbers or values.

median See CENTRAL TENDENCY (MEASURES OF).

median See measures of location.

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quadragenarian, quinquagenarian, quodlibetarian, Rastafarian, riparian, rosarian, Rotarian, sabbatarian, Sagittarian, sanitarian, Sauveterrian, sectarian, seminarian, septuagenarian, sexagenarian, topiarian, totalitarian, Trinitarian, ubiquitarian, Unitarian, utilitarian, valetudinarian, vegetarian, veterinarian, vulgarian •Adrian, Hadrian •Assyrian, Illyrian, Syrian, Tyrian •morion • Austrian •Dorian, Ecuadorean, historian, Hyperborean, Nestorian, oratorian, praetorian (US pretorian), salutatorian, Salvadorean, Singaporean, stentorian, Taurean, valedictorian, Victorian •Ugrian • Zarathustrian •Cumbrian, Northumbrian, Umbrian •Algerian, Cancerian, Chaucerian, Cimmerian, criterion, Hesperian, Hitlerian, Hyperion, Iberian, Liberian, Nigerian, Presbyterian, Shakespearean, Siberian, Spenserian, Sumerian, valerian, Wagnerian, Zairean •Arthurian, Ben-Gurion, centurion, durian, holothurian, Khachaturian, Ligurian, Missourian, Silurian, tellurian •Circassian, Parnassian •halcyon • Capsian • 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