With its rootsmedi-, meaning "middle", andev-, 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.

Adjective and Noun

New Latinmedium aevum Middle Ages

Adjective

1817, in the meaning defined atsense 1

Noun

1856, in the meaning definedabove

Kids Definition

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Nglish:Translation ofmedieval for Spanish Speakers

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