amid

amid
amid, amidst
Amid, recorded as a preposition and adverb before the Norman Conquest, developed two by-forms, amides (cf. always) and amidst (cf. against, amongst). Amides has dropped out of use, and amid and amidst have survived only as prepositions. In the 1880s the OED noted that ‘there is a tendency to use amidst more distributively than amid, e.g. of things scattered about, or a thing moving, in the midst of others’. It is difficult to discern this distinction maintained in current use. Both words have an air of formality, especially amidst, which is much less common (less than half the number of examples in the OEC compared with amid). Typical examples: (amid)

• I…have often stood by the Frome at Woolbridge, enjoying the mellow manor house amid its water-meadows —Times, 1987

• Victor was packed off to boarding school amid angry disputes over money —History Today, 2002

• (amidst) This woman, sitting with such modest dignity amidst my students and colleagues —Michael Frayn, 1989

• She took her bows on stage amidst baskets of flowers —ballet website, BrE 2004 [OEC].

In general use, amid and amidst have tended to be replaced by among or in the midst of.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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Synonyms:
(without being part of), , , , / , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • amid — amid·ic; …   English syllables

  • Amid — 〈n. 11; Chem.〉 Derivat organischer Säuren, bei dem die Hydroxylgruppe der Carboxylgruppe durch eine Aminogruppe ersetzt ist (AzetAmid) [nach den beiden ersten Buchstaben von Ammoniak] * * * A|mid [Kurzw. aus ↑ Ammoniak u. ↑ id (1)], das; s, e: 1) …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Amid — Amid, 1) A. el Katib, s. Katib. 2) Ali Ebn Muhammed Ebn Selim Seifeddin A., arab. Philosoph in Algazalis Geist, geb. 1155 zu Amid (Diarbekr), st. 1233. Schr. u. a. das metaphysische Werk Ebkiaral Eskiar (d.i. Jungfrauen der Gedanken) …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Amīd — (Chem.), ein hypothetischer Körper, bestehend aus NH2. Man nimmt seine Existenz in den Verbindungen an, die sich aus den Ammoniaksalzen vieler organischer Säuren durch Austreten von 2 Atomen Wasser bilden, so aus dem benzoesauren Ammoniak das… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • amid — [əˈmɪd] or amidst [əˈmɪdst] preposition 1) while something is happening or changing Banks and shops closed yesterday amid growing fears of violence.[/ex] 2) surrounded by things or people …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • Amid — A*mid , prep. See {Amidst}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Amid — Amid, ein hypothetisches Radikal (s. Radikaltheorie) …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • Amid — Amid, Amĭda, alte mesopotam. Stadt, s. Diarbekr …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Amid — Amid, eine angenommene Verbindung von 2 Atomen Stickstoff und 2 Atomen Sauerstoff, bisher noch nicht für sich dargestellt …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • amid — index among Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

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