Medallion

How to spell medallion

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce medallion

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does medallion mean?

1. nounA large medal or round ornamental disc, often worn on a chain around the neck.
2. nounAn oval or round decorative panel set into a wall, ceiling, carpet, or piece of furniture.
3. nounA small round cut of tender meat or fish, usually fried or grilled.

Medallion in a sentence

• A gold medallion hung on a chain around his neck.

• A carved medallion of fruit and flowers decorated the centre of the ceiling.

• The chef served a medallion of beef with a peppercorn sauce.

• The winning rider received a heavy bronze medallion at the ceremony.

• The antique rug had a deep red medallion woven into its middle.

• Each plate held a pan-fried medallion of pork beside roasted vegetables.

Where does medallion come from?

Language of origin: Italian

This word travelled into English from the Italian medaglione, the augmentative form of medaglia, meaning literally 'a large medal'. The Italian medaglia traces back through medieval Latin to metallum, the Latin word for 'metal' or 'mine', the same root that gives us 'metal' and 'medal' themselves. English borrowed it in the seventeenth century by way of French medaillon, which is why the spelling keeps that French and Italian flavour with its single 'd' followed by the doubled 'l'. The original sense was simply a big commemorative coin or disc, but the meaning soon widened to cover any large ornamental disc, the carved oval panels set into walls and furniture, and finally the round portions of tender meat that chefs cut and present like little discs. The spelling trap lives in the middle: one 'd', then two 'l's, and an '-ion' ending that sounds like a plain '-yun'.

How the word is built

• medal (metal disc, from Latin metallum: metal)
• -ion (from Italian augmentative -one: large one)