mid

¹

[ mid ]

adjective

1. being at or near the middle point of:

   We visited in mid autumn to catch the leaves at their best.

   The group was active in the mid 1890s.

2. being or occupying a middle place or position:

   These socks hit at the mid calf, making them good for wearing with boots.

   The bark mid trunk has been eaten away by insects.

3. Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with an opening above the tongue relatively intermediate between those for high and low: the vowels of beet, bet, and bot are respectively high, mid, and low. Compare high ( def 23 ), low ¹( def 30 ).
4. Slang. mediocre, unimpressive, or disappointing:

   Everyone thinks that show is so great, but I've always thought it was mid.

   The shoes are really mid but the shirt is cute.

noun

1. Archaic. the middle.

mid

²

or 'mid

[ mid ]

preposition

1. amid.

mid

³

[ mid ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a midshipman.

mid-

⁴

1. a combining form representing mid1 in compound words:

   midday; mid-Victorian.

mid.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. middle.

Mid.

⁶

abbreviation for

1. Midshipman.

M.I.D.

⁷

abbreviation for

1. Master of Industrial Design.

mid.

¹

abbreviation for

1. middle

mid

²

/ mɪd /

preposition

1. a poetic word for amid

mid

³

/ mɪd /

adjective

1. phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a vowel whose articulation lies approximately halfway between high and low, such as e in English bet

noun

1. an archaic word for middle

mid-

⁴

combining_form

1. indicating a middle part, point, time, or position

   mid-April

   midday

   mid-Victorian

Mid.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. Midshipman

Word History and Origins

Origin of mid¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English midd- (both an adjective and the initial element of a compound; modern spellings such as mid autumn are probably a reanalysis of the combining form mid- as an adjective); cognate with Old High German mitti, Old Norse mithr, Gothic midjis; akin to Greek mésos, méssos, méttos, Latin medius, Old Church Slavonic mežda “limit, border,” Old Irish mide, Sanskrit madhya “middle”; mid-

Origin of mid²

By shortening

Origin of mid³

Middle English, Old English; mid ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mid¹

C12 midre (inflected form of midd, unattested); related to Old Norse mithr, Gothic midjis

Origin of mid²

Old English; see middle , mid ¹

Example Sentences

Between mid October and mid November this year, there was the highest concentration of so-called red days in any month since the big uptick in small boat crossings in 2021.

From BBC

Gina said she first began "seriously" thinking about becoming a single mum after having a fertility assessment in her mid 30s.

From BBC

In her mid 30s, her role in the original stage production of “Steel Magnolias” — she was Truvy, the gossipy salon owner later played by Dolly Parton in the film — caught the eyes of Hollywood casting directors.

From New York Times

So it was a mild shock, one morning in mid November, to find Martindale — just back from Toronto, where she is shooting a Richard LaGravenese series — tucked away at a tasteful Manhattan brunch spot.

From New York Times

St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire MP Ian Sollom said: "We have all sorts of skills gaps, not just in St Neots but across the country, and one way to start closing that gap is by getting good advice and opportunities to young people."

From BBC

Related Words

• average
• boring
• dull
• mediocre
• middling