Mediating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Serving as a neutral party to help resolve conflicts or disputes between two or more sides
2. Involving intervention by a third party to facilitate communication and agreement among conflicting groups
3. Engaging in the process of negotiation or arbitration to assist in reaching a mutually acceptable solution

Etymology: Latin "medius" meant "middle," and the Latin verb "mediare" grew from it, so to mediate was originally to stand in the middle of things. The verb reached English in 1538, while the adjective "mediate," meaning intermediate or intercessory, appeared in the 1440s. The sense of acting as a go-between between opposing sides came later, out of that original idea of occupying a position between two parties. The "-ing" ending simply turns the verb into a participle, describing the ongoing act of standing between disputants and helping them reach agreement. Few words show so plainly how a spatial idea of being in the middle can become a social role, in which the mediator literally occupies the space between two sides.

Synonyms: negotiating, intervening