amidst
/əˈmɪdst/
preposition
Origin
Old English
on middan — in the middle
Overview
Meaning Now
- In the middle of; surrounded by.
- During the course of an event or period.
Literal older meaning
in the middle of
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
amidde
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The -st suffix emerged in Late Middle English as an adverbial genitive, often seen in words like 'against' or 'amidst'. The addition of the 't' is a common phonetic development known as epenthesis, appearing after fricatives.
Evolution
- Old English
on middan
“in the middle”
- Middle English
amidde
“in the middle”
Combination of 'a-' + 'midde'.
- Late Middle English
amyddes
“in the middle of”
Adverbial genitive -s suffix added.
- Early Modern English
amidst
“in the middle of”
Intrusive -t added to the genitive form.
Connections
Word parts
a-
prefix
on/in
mid
root
middle
-st
suffix
adverbial/genitive marker with epenthetic -t
Related across languages
German
mitten
in the middle
Old Saxon
on middion
in the middle
Explore next
Related to amidst
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.