Medieval

UK: /ˌmɛdiˈiːv^əl/

US: /ˌmidiˈivəl, ˌmɛdi-, ˌmɪdi-, mɪdˈivəl/

US: (mē′dē ē′vəl, med′ē-, mid′ē-, mid ē′vəl)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

me•di•e•val or me•di•ae•val /ˌmidiˈivəl, ˌmɛdi-, ˌmɪdi-, mɪdˈivəl/   adj. 

1. World History of, relating to, or characteristic of the Middle Ages:
   medieval architecture.

me•di•e•val•ist, n. [countable] See -medi-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

me•di•e•val  (mē′dē ē′vəl, med′ē-, mid′ē-, mid ē′vəl), adj. 

1. World History of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or in the style of the Middle Ages:
   medieval architecture.
   Cf. Middle Ages. 
2. Informal Terms extremely old-fashioned;
   primitive.

Also, mediaeval. 

• Neo-Latin medi(um) aev(um) the middle age + -al¹. See medium, age
• 1820–30

me′di•e′val•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

me•di•ae•val  (mē′dē ē′vəl, med′ē-, mid′ē-, mid ē′vəl), adj. 

1. medieval.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

medieval, mediaeval / ˌmɛdɪˈiːv^əl/ adjective

1. of, relating to, or in the style of the Middle Ages
2. old-fashioned; primitive

Etymology: 19th Century: from New Latin medium aevum the middle age. See medium, age

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

mediaeval / ˌmɛdɪˈiːv^əl/ adjective

1. a variant spelling of medieval