between
Language: English
Part of speech: prep
Pronunciation: ipa: /bɪˈtwiːn/
ipa: /bəˈtwin/
ipa: /bɪˈtwin/
ipa: [bɪˈtʰwin]
ipa: /biˈtwin/
rhymes: -iːn
Forms: form: betweene
form: betwene
form: b/w
form: btwn
form: btw
Etymology: 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”).
Senses: examples: text: John stood between Amy and Mary.    Let’s meet between two and three.
text: I want to buy one that costs somewhere between forty and fifty dollars.
text: The prince is here at hand, pleaſeth your Lordſhip / To meet his grace iuſt diſtance tvveene our armies.
ref: [c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth, […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], signature G2, recto:
text: Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
ref: 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
text: Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.
ref: 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
text: Accounts with between fifty thousand and two hundred thousand followers are considered “microinfluencers,” and tend to have higher engagement rates—that is, a larger share of their followers like, favorite, or comment on their posts—than those with millions of followers.
ref: 2017 April 17, Rachel Monroe, “#Vanlife, the Bohemian Social-Media Movement”, in The New Yorker, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2017:
glosses: In the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See Usage notes below.)
examples: text: conversation between friends
text: 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.
ref: 1935, George Goodchild, chapter 1, in Death on the Centre Court:
glosses: Done together or reciprocally.
examples: text: Between you and me, I think the boss is crazy.  Let's keep this between ourselves.
glosses: Shared in confidence.
examples: text: He's between jobs right now.  The shuttle runs between the town and the airport.
text: [If] you don’t want to flip the channels between Biden and Trump, join [the] live chat, [which is covering] both town halls.
ref: 2020, Lisa Lerer, “This Is Not the Debate We Wanted”, in The New York Times:
glosses: In transit from (one to the other, or connecting places).
examples: text: Between us all, we shall succeed.  We've only got £5 between us.
text: Between the leaky taps and the peeling wallpaper, there isn't much about this house to appeal to a buyer.
glosses: Combined (by effort or ownership).
examples: text: You must choose between him and me.
text: Some colour-blind people can't distinguish between red and green.
glosses: One of (representing a choice).
examples: text: Between the food and the card games, this proved to be the best birthday party I have ever had.
glosses: Taking together the combined effect of.
Synonyms: word: atween
word: atwix
word: atwixt
word: betwixt
word: betwixte
Derived terms: betweenane
between a rock and a hard place
between decks
betweenhood
betweenity
between jobs
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 pegs
between the pipes
between the sheets
between the sticks
between time
between-time
between times
between two stools
betweenwhiles
between wind and water
between you and I
between you and me
between you and me and the bedpost
between you and me and these four walls
betwixt and between
bit between one's teeth
caught between two stools
come between
create daylight between oneself and someone
drive a wedge between
fall between the cracks
fall between two stools
few and far between
get between
go between
go-between
in between
in-between
in-between hop
in between jobs
in between times
keep it between the ditches
know the difference between one's ass and a hole in the ground
know the difference between one's ass and one's elbow
mean distance between failure
nothing to choose between
put daylight between oneself and someone
read between the lines
rose between two thorns
stand between
step between
sympathy is between shit and syphilis
tail-between-one's-legs
tail between one's legs
therebetween
there's many a slip between the cup and the lip
tween
tweenager
wherebetween
Related terms: betwixt
among