midst

B2 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

US /mɪdst/ See IPA manual

Freq #8757

Meanings

1

noun
The middle of a group, place, or situation; surrounded by it.

She felt completely alone in the midst of the noisy crowd.
2

prep
In the middle of; among.

They kept working calmly midst all the confusion around them.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the middle of a group,... center centre middle

2 prep · in the middle of; among. amid amidst

Word family

Forms midsts

Etymology

From Middle English middes, midst, myddest (“middle”), from Old English midde, reshaped in Middle English phrases like in middes (“in the middle”) by analogy with adverbs in -(e)s; also compare Old English on middan, tōmiddes. Forms in -(e)st are probably due to influence of superlatives.

middes Middle English midde Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# midst

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, prep
**IPA (US):** /mɪdst/
**Frequency rank:** 8757

## Meanings
1. The middle of a group, place, or situation; surrounded by it.
2. In the middle of; among.

## Examples
- She felt completely alone in the midst of the noisy crowd.
- They kept working calmly midst all the confusion around them.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: middes
- Root: midde

## Etymology
From Middle English middes, midst, myddest (“middle”), from Old English midde, reshaped in Middle English phrases like in middes (“in the middle”) by analogy with adverbs in -(e)s; also compare Old English on middan, tōmiddes. Forms in -(e)st are probably due to influence of superlatives.

## AI Etymology
Midst comes from Middle English middes, midst, myddest (“middle”), from Old English midde, reshaped in Middle English phrases like in middes (“in the middle”) by analogy with adverbs in -(e)s; also compare Old English on middan, tōmiddes. Forms in -(e)st are probably due to influence of superlatives. In present-day English its meanings include the middle of a group, place, or situation; surrounded by it and in the middle of; among. The historical chain runs through middes (Middle English) and midde (Old English).

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

markdown