Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Medal

Medal , noun

[French médaille, Italian medaglia, from Latin metallum metal, through (assumed) Late Latin metalleus made of metal. See Metal, and compare Mail a piece of money.]

A piece of metal in the form of a coin, struck with a device, and intended to preserve the remembrance of a notable event or an illustrious person, or to serve as a reward.

Medal , transitive verb

To honor or reward with a medal.
Medaled by the king. — Thackeray