medallion

noun

me·​dal·​lion mə-ˈdal-yən 

1

: a large medal

2

: something resembling a large medal

especially : a tablet or panel in a wall or window bearing a figure in relief, a portrait, or an ornament

3

or less commonly medaillon

mā-dä-ˈyōⁿ 

: a small, round or oval serving (as of meat or fish)

Synonyms

• medal
• order

Examples of medallion in a Sentence

the hockey team received a gold medallion at the Olympics

Recent Examples on the Web

Though the original statues are gone from the Renwick Gallery, its exterior tympanum features one distinctive relic of the building’s past: a round medallion with a bronze relief profile portrait of William Corcoran. —Samantha Baskind, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025

Tensions had already begun boiling over months before Shakur's killing when a fight broke out between a number of Bloods and Crips over a coveted Death Row medallion. —Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 20 May 2025

The recognizable winged graphic from the original Fat Boy is recreated in three-dimensional gasoline tank medallions. —New Atlas, 12 May 2025

The gold figurines, vases, medallions and mirrors are not yet present. —Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

French médaillon, from Italian medaglione, augmentative of medaglia

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for medallion

• battalion
• italian
• scallion
• stallion

Kids Definition

medallion

noun

me·​dal·​lion mə-ˈdal-yən 

1

: a large medal

2

: something resembling a large medal (as in shape)