mediaeval

Everyday

1. (history) From or to do with the Middle Ages, the time in Europe from about 500 to 1500 AD. tree →
2. (informal, negative) Very old-fashioned or cruel, as in «mediaeval punishments». tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons, mediaeval castles, knights, monasteries, the Black Death and the Magna Carta (1215) are studied. In everyday talk, people complain that something old or harsh is «positively mediaeval». Phrases: mediaeval castle, mediaeval times, mediaeval village.

Examples

• We visited a mediaeval castle in Wales. tree →
• Mediaeval knights wore heavy armour. tree →
• In mediaeval times, most people worked on farms. tree →
• The Black Death killed many people in mediaeval Europe. tree →
• The town still has its mediaeval walls. tree →
• Monks copied books by hand in mediaeval monasteries. tree →
• «Sending kids to bed with no phone? That's mediaeval!» joked my brother. tree →

Note

«Mediaeval» is an older British spelling; «medieval» is the usual spelling today in all countries. Pronounced med-ee-EE-vul or mid-EE-vul. Comes from Latin «medium aevum», the middle age. The period is also called the Middle Ages.

In Jewish tradition

In history lessons, mediaeval castles, knights, monasteries, the Black Death and the Magna Carta (1215) are studied. In everyday talk, people complain that something old or harsh is «positively mediaeval». Phrases: mediaeval castle, mediaeval times, mediaeval village.

Note

«Mediaeval» is an older British spelling; «medieval» is the usual spelling today in all countries. Pronounced med-ee-EE-vul or mid-EE-vul. Comes from Latin «medium aevum», the middle age. The period is also called the Middle Ages.