1. adj., medius. [Vid: MEAN.] Middle age, media aetas (Cic.): the middle order, (a) in rank; opposed to the nobles or the people, ordo plebeius, plebs, homines plebeii generis (generally, the order of citizens; the former, of the order itself; the two latter, of individuals): plebs ingenua (of the higher orders of citizen, Tac., Ann., 4, 27, extr.; usually termed, by Livy, principes, primores, or capita plebis; opposed to the infimi; Vid: 6, 34; 4, 60; 2, 1; 10, 6): of the middle order, plebeii generis; plebeius: (b) in respect of property, homines modice locupletes. (☞ Neither homines mediocres in Cic., De Orat., 1, 21, 94, nor vir mediocris, in Justin., 1, 2, 4, refers to rank or order, but to mental endowments).
2. s. medius alicujus rei locus (e.g., of the earth, medius mundi universi locus): media alicujus rei pars (obsolate in oblique cases, locus or pars often omitted; e.g., in medio or in media urbis). Mostly by medius in agreement: the middle of the line, media acies: the middle of the island, media insula: to break through the middle of the enemy’s line, per mediam aciem hostium perrumpere: to be situate in the middle of any place, in medio aliquo loco situm esse. ☞ 1. Avoid centrum, except for the centre of a circle. Pliny has centrum caeli, solis, terrae, etc., but these bodies were supposed “disks.” Cic. uses, for the centre of the earth, medius terrae locus. 2. Avoid umbilicus, which Cic. uses only of Greek places, as a translation of the Greek ὄμφαλος.