mid·dling (mĭd'lĭng, -lĭn)
adj.

1. Of medium size, position, or quality.
2. Mediocre. See synonyms at average.

n.

1. Chiefly Southern U.S.
   1. Pork or bacon cut from between the ham and shoulder of a pig. Often used in the plural.
   2. Salt pork. Also called middling meat.
2. middlings Any of various products, such as partially refined petroleum or ore, that are intermediate in quality, size, price, or grade.
3. middlings (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Coarsely ground wheat mixed with bran.

adv. Informal
Fairly; moderately: "a middling nice cake" (Hatfield MA Valley Advocate).

[Probably Middle English midlin : mid, mid; see mid¹ + -ling, having a quality; see -ling¹.]

middlingly mid'dling·ly adv.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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