Median
Etymology
From Latin “medianus” (of the middle), from “medius” (middle). Its statistical use was popularized in the 19th century, notably by Francis Galton, as a robust alternative to the average.
noun · /MEE-dee-uhn/
The middle value in a sorted list, with half the data above and half below.
What it names
It gives a “typical” figure that a handful of giants or outliers cannot distort.
Example
Economists quote median household income rather than mean because a few billionaires would otherwise drag the “average” far above what most families see.
Related idea
When the mean and the median diverge sharply, the data are skewed — and whichever one a source chose to report often reveals the story it wanted to tell.
noun · /MEE-dee-uhn/
The strip of land, often planted or paved, dividing the two directions of a highway.
What it names
the central divider of a road
Example
The car spun across three lanes and onto the median.
Related idea
Chiefly North American — literally the strip in the middle. Compare isthmus, another narrow dividing strip.