golden mean

English

Etymology

Calque of Latin aurea mediocritās.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: gōld'ən mēn, IPA^(key): /ˈɡəʊl.dən ˈmiːn/
• (US) enPR: gōld'ən mēn, IPA^(key): /ˈɡoʊl.dən ˈmiːn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːn

Noun

golden mean (plural golden means)

1. (idiomatic) A position of balance between excess and deficiency.
   • (Can we date this quote?), chapter 10, in Odes II, translation of original by Horace:

     He who chooses the golden mean safely avoids both the hovel and the palace

Translations

balance between excess and deficiency

• Catalan: daurat punt mitjà
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 中庸 (zh) (zhōngyōng)

• Danish: den gyldne middelvej
• Dutch: gulden middenweg m, juiste middenweg m
• Finnish: kultainen keskitie
• French: juste milieu (fr) m
• German: goldener Mittelweg m, goldene Mitte f
• Hungarian: arany középút (hu)
• Latin: aurea mediocritas f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: den gylne middelvei

  Nynorsk: den gylne middelvegen

• Polish: złoty środek (pl) m
• Russian: золотая середи́на (ru) f (zolotaja seredína)
• Swedish: gyllene medelväg c
• Ukrainian: золота́ середи́на f (zolotá seredýna)

See also

• golden ratio
• middle ground
• third way
• via media