in medias res

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in mediās rēs (literally “into the middle of things”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪn ˌmiːdiəs ˈɹeɪz/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adverb

in medias res (not comparable)

1. In the middle of a storyline.

   Synonym: in-between

   Coordinate term: ab ovo

   This novel begins in medias res.

   • 2008, Don Gifford, Robert J. Seidman, Ulysses Annotated: Notes for James Joyce's Ulysses, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 2:

     As in a good epic, Ulysses begins in medias res and fills us in on Stephen's life since the end of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by flashback; and by the flashback of memory we are given the story of Molly's and Bloom's lives.

   • 2012, H. David Brumble, Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance […] , Routledge, →ISBN:

     Homer begins in medias res. Then, well into the poem, he takes us back to tell us about the events that make up the beginning of the story. The Odyssey, for example, begins in the tenth year of Odysseus's wanderings; […]

Adjective

in medias res (not comparable)

1. Beginning in the middle of its storyline: said of a work of literature or a film.

   Although not strictly in medias res, the film uses flashbacks extensively.

Noun

in medias res (uncountable)

1. Narrative presented in medias res.
   • 2010 (March 31^st, 5:00pm): Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, “Final Fantasy XIII” reviewed by Zero Punctuation, 2:03–2:16

     Anyway, the characters have been introduced but by no means established. I know Final Fantasy’s always been big on in medias res, but even the most basic questions about the plot remain unanswered. Who the fuck are these people? What is going on? Why should I care? Can I stop playing now? Please?

Usage notes

Often incorrectly rendered as "in media res".

Further reading

• in medias res on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• sideramines

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin in mediās rēs (literally “into the middle of things”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌim ˌmedjas ˈres/ [ˌĩm ˌme.ð̞jaz ˈres]
• Syllabification: in me‧dias res

Adverb

in medias res

1. in medias res

Adjective

in medias res (invariable)

1. in medias res

Related terms

• ab initio
• ab ovo

 

Further reading

• “in medias res”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28