一种物质存在于另一种物质内部时，后者是前者的介质。

某些波状运动，如声波、光波中，则称传播的物质为这些波状运动的介质。

介质分为光介质、电介质、机械波介质、磁介质等等。

A transmission medium is a material substance (solid, liquid, gas, or plasma) that can propagate energy waves. For example, the transmission medium for sounds is usually air, but solids and liquids may also act as transmission media for sound.

The absence of a material medium in vacuum may also constitute a transmission medium for electromagnetic waves such as light and radio waves. While material substance is not required for electromagnetic waves to propagate, such waves are usually affected by the transmission media they pass through, for instance by absorption or by reflection or refraction at the interfaces between media.