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mediate

verb, adj — 9 senses

mediate

verb

US /ˈmidieɪt/

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).

1

To resolve differences, or to bring about a settlement, between conflicting parties.

  • Negotiators managed to mediate a ceasefire.
2

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.

Derived terms
antibody-mediated rejection, electromediated, hypermediated, immunomediate, mediatable, mediatingly, mediative, nonmediated, nonmediating, telemediated, unmediated
Related terms
intermediate, mean, median, mediation, mediator, medium

mediate

adj

US /ˈmidi.ət/

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).

1

Acting through a mediating agency, indirect.

  • 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:
  • 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:
2

Intermediate between extremes.

  • soon the mediate clouds shall be dispell'd1709, Mat[thew] Prior, “Charity”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:
3

Gained or effected by a medium or condition.

  • mediate positive proof1605, 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:
Derived terms
mediately, mediateness
Related terms
immediate, immediately

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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