Medieval

Did You Know?

With its roots medi-, meaning "middle", and ev-, meaning "age", medieval literally means "of the Middle Ages". In this case, middle means "between the Roman empire and the Renaissance"—that is, after the fall of the great Roman state and before the "rebirth" of culture that we call the Renaissance. This same period used to be called the "Dark Ages", since it was believed that in these years civilization all but vanished. And indeed, for most Europeans in these centuries, it was a time of poverty, famine, plague, and superstition, rather than the age of magic, dazzling swordplay, towering castles, and knights in splendid armor displayed in today's graphic novels and video games.

Examples of medieval in a Sentence

Adjective They're using a computer system that seems positively medieval by today's standards. get rid of that medieval kerosene stove—it stinks and it's dangerous

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Some historians believe that the impact of European and African settlers in the New World possibly killed as much as 90% of the native populations and was deadlier than the Black Death was in medieval Europe, OMRF said. — Alicia Lee, CNN, "Why Christopher Columbus wasn't the hero we learned about in school," 12 June 2020 Thanks to the efforts of the British Library, this lively scrapbook of medieval society is now available to read free online. — The Economist, "Craft from the past Leaf through the newly digitised “St Albans Benefactors’ Book”," 8 June 2020 Over half a millennium after its creation, medieval monks further obscured... — Elizabeth S. Bolman, WSJ, "Finding the Glory Beneath the Grime," 5 June 2020 The rest of the peasants dispersed or fled, depending on the report of the medieval chronicler. — Susan Wade, The Conversation, "Uprisings after pandemics have happened before – just look at the English Peasant Revolt of 1381," 5 June 2020 In September 2014, two months after the EES ultimatum, Obbink bought a faux medieval castle a short drive from the Baylor campus. — Ariel Sabar, The Atlantic, "A Mystery at Oxford," 13 May 2020 Stay at Castello di Ristonchi, a 1,000-year-old medieval castle, which sits high in the Tuscan hills overlooking quaint villages, vineyards, and olive groves. — Claire Trageser, Travel + Leisure, "The 50 Best Romantic Getaways," 28 Apr. 2020 Tickets at $30 each, will entitle the bearer to return to the year 1478, when the church will transform the Hall of St. Thomas into the Great Hall of a medieval castle. — Rich Heileman, cleveland, "Redo for a ‘rough and tumble’ road: Around The Town," 10 Jan. 2020 The decisions can put you in a lifeboat alongside the Titanic, the dungeon of a medieval castle or the time of the dinosaurs. — Jane C. Hu, Smithsonian, "Is the Future of Entertainment the 40-Years-Old ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Series?," 20 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In late medieval and early modern Europe, plague hospitals were frequently staffed by physicians, priests, members of religious orders, and lay religious women and men. — Adam J. Davis, The Conversation, "From pews to patients – churches have long served as hospitals, particularly in times of crisis," 27 Apr. 2020 The Adriatic nation of 4.2 million people is best known for its stunning Adriatic Sea coast that includes over 1,000 islands and picturesque coastal towns such as the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik. — Washington Post, "Croats pick president in tight test for ruling conservatives," 22 Dec. 2019 The tariffs could imperil future sales of antiques collections like the Linyushanren Collection, a set of Chinese ceramics from the medieval Song Dynasty assembled by a Japanese collector. — Andrew Duehren, WSJ, "The Art of the Trade Deal: Chinese Paintings and Antiquities Caught in U.S.-China Fight," 1 Sep. 2018 Silver production rose gradually but steadily through the prosperous medieval warm period. — The Economist, "Arctic lead levels shed new light on Europe’s history," 10 July 2019 And maybe also to sort out this whole Jaime/Tormund love triangle situation—a new (and supremely bizarre) subplot that positions Ser Brienne as a medieval Kelly Taylor, forced to choose between Brandon and Dylan. — Courtney Shea, Harper's BAZAAR, "Brienne of Tarth Lives—And Gwendoline Christie Has Some Thoughts About that Love Triangle," 6 May 2019 Although most manuscripts date to the late medieval and early modern periods, the practice of copying by hand endured in Yemen well into the 20th century. — Christian C. Sahner, WSJ, "Yemen’s Threatened Cultural Heritage," 25 Dec. 2018 Sitting at the foothills of the mystical Mount Taygetus, not only is this medieval walled town a UNESCO World Heritage Monument immersed in fascinating history, but the surrounding natural environment is rugged, raw, and inspiringly real. — Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "28 Places Our Travel Specialists Say You Should Go in 2019," 17 Dec. 2018 Candid, gossipy and occasionally imperiled by demons, Margery Kempe was a 15th-century mystic and the author of a terrific medieval tell-all. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, "10 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'medieval.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.