midwinter

[noun mid-win-ter, -win-; adjective mid-win-ter]

noun

the middle of winter.
the winter solstice, around December 22.

adjective

of, relating to, or occurring in the middle of the winter.

Origin of midwinter

before 1150; Middle English, Old English; see mid¹, winter

Related formsmid·win·try, mid·win·ter·ly, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for midwinter

Contemporary Examples of midwinter

Midwinter Madness A suicidal woman is persuaded from the edge of a subway platform.
The Yes List: Who Will Cash in After Oscar Night?
The Daily Beast
February 25, 2011

Historical Examples of midwinter

Downstairs, Christine and Palmer had entered on the round of midwinter gayeties.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
It was hard for an inn-keeper to be cheerful in midwinter with an empty house.
The Inn at the Red Oak
Latta Griswold
The air was clear, the sky blue as if it were spring-time, instead of midwinter.
A Woman Intervenes
Robert Barr
At midwinter I had occasion to visit Evansport and Acquia creek.
Four Years in Rebel Capitals
T. C. DeLeon
The time was the month of January, 1892; he was alone, in hospital, in the gloom of midwinter.
The Education of Henry Adams
Henry Adams

British Dictionary definitions for midwinter

midwinter

noun

1. the middle or depth of the winter
2. (as modifier)a midwinter festival
another name for winter solstice

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for midwinter

also mid-winter, Old English midwinter, also midde winter; see mid + winter (n.). The middle of winter, especially the period around the winter solstice (Dec. 21). As an adjective from mid-12c.