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Medium vs Optimum - What's the difference?

medium | optimum |

As nouns the difference between medium and optimum

is that medium is the nature of the surrounding environment, e.g. solid, liquid, gas, vacuum, or a specific substance such as a solvent while optimum is the best or most favorable condition, or the greatest amount or degree possible under specific sets of comparable circumstances.

As adjectives the difference between medium and optimum

is that medium is arithmetically average while optimum is best or most advantageous; surpassing all others.

As an adverb medium

is to a medium extent.

medium

English

(wikipedia medium)

Noun

(en-noun)
  • The nature of the surrounding environment, e.g. solid, liquid, gas, vacuum, or a specific substance such as a solvent.
  • The material or empty space through which signals, waves or forces pass.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Whether any other liquors, being made mediums , cause a diversity of sound from water, it may be tried.
  • * Denham
  • I must bring together / All these extremes; and must remove all mediums .
  • (senseid) A format for communicating or presenting information.
  • The materials used to finish a workpiece using a mass finishing or abrasive blasting process.
  • A nutrient solution for the growth of cells ''in vitro .
  • * 1996 , Samuel Baron (editor), Medical Microbiology :
  • In some instances one can take advantage of differential carbohydrate fermentation capabilities of microorganisms by incorporating one or more carbohydrates in the medium' along with a suitable pH indicator. Such '''media''' are called differential ' media (e.g., eosin methylene blue or MacConkey agar) and are commonly used to isolate enteric bacilli.
  • The means or channel by which an aim is achieved.
  • A liquid base which carries pigment in paint.
  • A tool used for painting or drawing.
  • Acrylics, oils, charcoal and gouache are all mediums I used in my painting.
  • Someone who supposedly conveys information from the spirit world.
  • Anything having a measurement intermediate between extremes, such as a garment or container.
  • A person whom garments or apparel of intermediate size fit.
  • A half-pint serving of Guinness (or other stout in some regions).
  • A middle place or degree.
  • a happy medium
  • * L'Estrange
  • The just medium lies between pride and abjection.
  • (dated) An average; sometimes the mathematical mean.
  • * Burke
  • a medium of six years of war, and six years of peace
  • (logic) The mean or middle term of a syllogism, that by which the extremes are brought into connection.
  • Derived terms

    * (sense) differential medium

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Arithmetically average.
  • Of intermediate size, degree, amount etc.
  • Of meat, cooked to a point greater than rare but less than well done; typically, so the meat is still red in the centre.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • to a medium extent
  • Synonyms

    *

    Statistics

    *

    References

    optimum

    English

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • The best or most favorable condition, or the greatest amount or degree possible under specific sets of comparable circumstances.
  • Derived terms

    * global optimum * local optimum

    Adjective

    (head)
  • best or most advantageous; surpassing all others