Is the plural form of "medium" always "media"? If someone has three medium-sized t-shirts, are they three mediums or three media?

Medium has many different meanings. Depends on how you use it. So 3 mediums is correct regarding t-shirts.

I think the only time media is the plural of medium is when referring to a means of broadcast, communication, or content storage.

Three medium-sized t-shirts would be 3 mediums.

The plural of medium is never media. Media is a noun. It is already plural by definition since it encompasses all. Medium is a noun or verb, and if you are referring to several different mediums that's the plural. They are not the same by definition.

Well...THIS was an interesting question!

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/media

Check it out! Media IS the correct plural of Medium! When used as a noun.
(It's a few other things as well!)

EDIT!!!!!!!OOPS!!!!!!!!!!!EDIT...NOV. 2009

I have no clue as to why I didn't see this the first time! <blushing>

When talking about the plural here the SUBJECT IS THE SHIRTS..we are speaking or writing about articles of clothing here....MEDIUM is only the SIZE of the shirts...THE SHIRTS (since there are more than one of them....is what would be considered plural...

I have three medium SHIRTS. Is the correct answer....just as we would not say "I have three YELLOWS SHIRT...." We would say "I have three yellow SHIRTS."


HOLY DUH MOMENT....tis good to be humble!

The singular noun medium is not the same word as the adjective medium, even when you use that adjective as a noun. Since the meanings aren't related, they don't use the same plural.

The plural of medium is media. The t-shirt example does not apply in my humble opinion because I don't think it is grammatically correct to talk about "three mediums" referring to shirt sizes. Would it be grammatically correct to say "three larges" or "three smalls"?

The correct thing to say would be "three medium sized t-shirts"

mediums.