amid

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Amid, recorded as a preposition and adverb before the Norman Conquest, developed two by-forms, amides (cf. always) and amidst (cf. against, amongst). Amides has dropped out of use, and amid and amidst have survived only as prepositions. In the 1880s the Old English (up to 1150)D noted that 'there is a tendency to use amidst more distributively than amid, e.g. of things scattered about, or a thing moving, in the midst of others'. It is difficult to discern this distinction maintained in current use. Both words have an air of formality, especially amidst, which is much less common (less than half the number of examples in the Old English (up to 1150)C compared with amid). Typical examples: (amid)

I...have often stood by the Frome at Woolbridge, enjoying the mellow manor house amid its water-meadows—Times, 1987

Victor was packed off to boarding school amid angry disputes over money—History Today, 2002

(amidst) This woman, sitting with such modest dignity amidst my students and colleagues—Michael Frayn, 1989

She took her bows on stage amidst baskets of flowers—ballet website, British English 2004 [Old English (up to 1150)C].

In general use, amid and amidst have tended to be replaced by among or in the midst of.

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IN BRIEF: In the middle of.

We all live amid surfaces, and the true art is to skate well on them. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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For a list of words related to amid, see:

• Prepositions
• Reflections and References
• Relative Positions - amid: (prep) in the middle of, among; amidst

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See words rhyming with "amid."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Amid.