midst
midst Lexical Profile
midst Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The middle or central part or point of a group, place, or situation; the state of being surrounded by people or things.
"The community discovered a talented classical musician living quietly in their midst."
• preposition
In the middle of; surrounded by; among (chiefly literary or poetic).
"The ancient tower stood silently midst the dense autumn fog."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a noun, 'midst' is almost exclusively used within prepositional phrases such as 'in the midst of' or with a possessive determiner like 'in our midst.' Its use as a standalone preposition is chiefly literary or archaic, where 'amid' or 'amidst' is preferred in modern prose.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'middes,' an adverbial genitive form of 'mid' (from Old English 'midd,' meaning middle), with an unetymological '-t' added in the 15th century by analogy with superlative forms.