English Reference
noun

mediation

n.
US /ˌmidiˈeɪʃən/ UK /mˌiːdɪˈeɪʃən/ me·di·a·tion UK spelling mediations

  1. 01 C2 Proficiency AcademicFormal

    the act of helping two different ideas, groups, or things work together or understand each other.

    the action of acting as an intermediary or link between two different states, ideas, or entities.

    Simple

    The teacher's mediation helped the students understand the difficult text.

    In context

    The philosopher explored the mediation between individual freedom and the collective requirements of a functioning state.

    Usage

    Commonly followed by the preposition 'between'.

He credited Qatar with playing an important role in mediation efforts to halt fighting in the region.

Al Jazeera· 15 Aug 2026

In July, the African Union’s special envoy to Sudan, Mohamed Belaiche, discussed the political and security situation in Khartoum, African mediation efforts and the reopening of the African Union’s office in the capital.

Al Jazeera· 15 Aug 2026

From Middle English mediacion, mediacioun, medyacion, medyacyoun from Middle French mediacion and its etymon Late Latin mediātiō, from mediārī (“intervene”), from Latin medius (“middle”). By surface analysis, mediate + -ion.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin medius
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated