between

A kind of needle, shorter than a sharp, with a small rounded eye, used for making fine stitches on heavy fabrics.

Noun

  1. A kind of needle, shorter than a sharp, with a small rounded eye, used for making fine stitches on heavy fabrics.

Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English betwene, from Old English betwēonum (“between, among”, dative plural, literally “by the two, near both”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”) + *twīhnaz (“two each”), corresponding to be- + twain. Cognate with Scots between (“between”), Scots atween (“between”), Gothic 𐍄𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌹 (tweihnai, “two each”), Old English betweoh (“between”), Old English twinn (“double, twofold”). More at betwixt, twin. More distantly related to Ancient Greek διά (diá, “through, across, by, over”) whence English dia- (“through, across, between”). For the meaning development also compare with Mongolian хооронд (xoorond, “between”), connected with Mongolian хоёр (xojor, “two”).

Forms

betweens betweene betwene b/w btwn btw

Preposition

  1. In the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See Usage notes below.)
    • John stood between Amy and Mary. Let’s meet between two and three.
    • I want to buy one that costs somewhere between forty and fifty dollars.
    • The prince is here at hand, pleaſeth your Lordſhip / To meet his grace iuſt diſtance tvveene our armies. - [c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth, […], quarto edition,...
  2. Done together or reciprocally.
    • conversation between friends
    • She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill. - 1935, George...
  3. Shared in confidence.
    • Between you and me, I think the boss is crazy. Let's keep this between ourselves.
  4. In transit from (one to the other, or connecting places).
    • He's between jobs right now. The shuttle runs between the town and the airport.
    • [If] you don’t want to flip the channels between Biden and Trump, join [the] live chat, [which is covering] both town halls. - 2020, Lisa Lerer, “This Is Not the Debate We Wanted”, in The New York Times:
  5. Combined (by effort or ownership).
    • Between us all, we shall succeed. We've only got £5 between us.
    • Between the leaky taps and the peeling wallpaper, there isn't much about this house to appeal to a buyer.
  6. One of (representing a choice).
    • You must choose between him and me.
    • Some colour-blind people can't distinguish between red and green.
  7. Taking together the combined effect of.
    • Between the food and the card games, this proved to be the best birthday party I have ever had.

Forms

betweene betwene b/w btwn btw

Synonyms

atween atwix atwixt betwixt betwixte

Related

betwixt among

Derived

betweenane between a rock and a hard place between decks betweenhood betweenity between jobs between-maid betweenness between ourselves between Scylla and Charybdis between-seasons jacket between-step between-subjects between the devil and the deep blue sea between the ears between the hammer and the anvil between the jigs and the reels between the lines between the pegs between the pipes between the sheets between the sticks between-time between time