between

between
\ \ [OE] The second syllable of between is related to two and twin; the word as a whole seems to represent an original phrase meaning something like ‘by two each’. Old English betwēonum reflects a Germanic *twēon, reduced from an earlier *twikhnai; this represents the base *twīkh- (from which we get two) plus an -n suffix with apparently some sort of distributive function. The related betwixt comes ultimately from Germanic *twatwo’ and the element *-isk- ‘-ish’.
\ \ Cf.TWIN, TWO

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • between — 1. general. Between is an adverb (houses with spaces between) and a preposition (houses with spaces between them). We are concerned here with between as a preposition. 2. between and among. Many people, and usage guides, cling to the idea… …   Modern English usage

  • Between — Be*tween , prep. [OE. bytwene, bitweonen, AS. betwe[ o]nan, betwe[ o]num; prefix be by + a form fr. AS. tw[=a] two, akin to Goth. tweihnai two apiece. See {Twain}, and cf. {Atween}, {Betwixt}.] 1. In the space which separates; betwixt; as, New… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • between — [bē twēn′, bitwēn′] prep. [ME bitwene < OE betweonum < be,BY + tweonum (dat. of * tweon); akin to Goth tweihnai, by twos, in pairs: for IE base see TWO] 1. in or through the space that separates (two things) [between the house and the… …   English World dictionary

  • between — between, among are comparable when they take as object two or more persons or things and indicate their relation (as in position, in a distribution, or in participation). Between in its basic sense applies to only two objects {between Scylla and… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • between — ► PREPOSITION & ADVERB 1) at, into, or across the space separating (two objects, places, or points). 2) in the period separating (two points in time). ► PREPOSITION 1) indicating a connection or relationship involving (two or more parties). 2) by …   English terms dictionary

  • Between C & D — (1983 1990) was a Lower East Side quarterly literary magazine edited by Joel Rose and Catherine Texier. Though a geographical reference from New York City, Between C D has also been suggested to mean between coke and dope , giving an indication… …   Wikipedia

  • between — O.E. betweonum between, among, by turns, Mercian betwinum, from bi by (see BE (Cf. be )) + tweonum dat. pl. of *tweon two each (Cf. Goth. tweih nai two each ). Between a rock and a hard place is from 1940s, originally cowboy slang. Between whi …   Etymology dictionary

  • Between — Between, GA U.S. town in Georgia Population (2000): 148 Housing Units (2000): 63 Land area (2000): 0.868533 sq. miles (2.249491 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.868533 sq. miles (2.249491 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Between, GA — U.S. town in Georgia Population (2000): 148 Housing Units (2000): 63 Land area (2000): 0.868533 sq. miles (2.249491 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.868533 sq. miles (2.249491 sq. km) FIPS code …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Between — Be*tween , n. Intermediate time or space; interval. [Poetic & R.] Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • between — index among, intermediate Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

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