entry
between
/bɪˈtwiːn/In the space separating two or more things
From Proto-Germanic bi- (by) + O.English tweonum (two each).
from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”) + *twīhnaz (“two each”), corresponding to be- + twain. Cognate with Scots between...
from PIE root *dwo- "two"). Between is literally applicable only to two objects; but it may be and commonly is used of...
from Old English betweonum , Mercian betwinum , "in the space which separates, midway, in the midst, among; by turns,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old English betweonum , Mercian betwinum , "in the space which separates, midway, in the midst, among; by turns,"
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English betwene
from Middle English betwene
Word Ancestry
from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”) + *twīhnaz (“two each”), corresponding to be- + twain. Cognate with Scots between...
from PIE root *dwo- "two"). Between is literally applicable only to two objects; but it may be and commonly is used of...
from Old English betweonum , Mercian betwinum , "in the space which separates, midway, in the midst, among; by turns,"
+1 more sourcefrom Old English betweonum , Mercian betwinum , "in the space which separates, midway, in the midst, among; by turns,"
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English betwene
from Middle English betwene
Picture an Old English speaker saying betwēonum: not merely “in the middle,” but literally positioned by the two, with both sides pressing into the mental picture. The word’s numerical skeleton is the same ancient *dwo- that eventually gave English two, twin, and twain—a surprisingly crowded family for such a small number. By Middle English, betwene had shed some of its older grammatical furniture and was already comfortable describing spaces, choices, and relationships. The supposed rule that between belongs only to two things is more schoolroom tidy than historical reality: the OED records its use with more than two from its earliest periods. Cowboys gave the phrase “between a rock and a hard place” its modern dilemma sense in the 1940s, leaving us with a word that still quietly sketches two opposing objects whenever we say we are caught between them.
The Story
Picture an Old English speaker saying betwēonum: not merely “in the middle,” but literally positioned by the two, with both sides pressing into the mental picture. The word’s numerical skeleton is the same ancient *dwo- that eventually gave English two, twin, and twain—a surprisingly crowded family for such a small number. By Middle English, betwene had shed some of its older grammatical furniture and was already comfortable describing spaces, choices, and relationships. The supposed rule that between belongs only to two things is more schoolroom tidy than historical reality: the OED records its use with more than two from its earliest periods. Cowboys gave the phrase “between a rock and a hard place” its modern dilemma sense in the 1940s, leaving us with a word that still quietly sketches two opposing objects whenever we say we are caught between them.
Modern Usage
An extremely good, bad, or apparently meaningless filler word in some online slang usage
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entry describing “between” as a flexible filler word
Kin & Kindred
From 'bi-'·by, near, beside
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'tweonum'·two each, both, two sides
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary