between
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between
- /bɪˈtwiːn/ UK
- /bɪˈtwɪjn/ British, Southern, Standard
- /bəˈtwin/ US
- /bɪˈtwin/ US
- [bɪˈtʰwin] US
- /biˈtwin/ US
Rhymes with -iːn
Where it comes from
PIE word
*dwóh₁
From Middle English betwene, from Old English betwēonum (“between, among”, dative plural, literally “by the two, near both”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”) + *twīhnaz (“two each”), corresponding to be- + twain. Cognate with Scots between (“between”), Scots atween (“between”), Gothic 𐍄𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌹 (tweihnai, “two each”), Old English betweoh (“between”), Old English twinn (“double, twofold”). More at betwixt, twin.
More distantly related to Ancient Greek διά (diá, “through, across, by, over”) whence English dia- (“through, across, between”).
For the meaning development also compare with Mongolian хооронд (xoorond, “between”), connected with Mongolian хоёр (xojor, “two”).
preposition betweene · betwene · b/w · btwn · btw
- In the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See Usage notes below.) John stood between Amy and Mary. Let’s meet between two and three.
- Done together or reciprocally. conversation between friends
- Shared in confidence. Between you and me, I think the boss is crazy. Let's keep this between ourselves.
- In transit from (one to the other, or connecting places). He's between jobs right now. The shuttle runs between the town and the airport.
- Combined (by effort or ownership). Between us all, we shall succeed. We've only got £5 between us.
- One of (representing a choice). You must choose between him and me.
- Taking together the combined effect of. Between the food and the card games, this proved to be the best birthday party I have ever had.
noun betweens · betweene · betwene · b/w · btwn · btw
- A kind of needle, shorter than a sharp, with a small rounded eye, used for making fine stitches on heavy fabrics.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: betwixt, inter, walk, walks, falls, juggling, under, range, across, fall, backflow, entre, linking, entering, entry, enter
Translations
Every language
prep in the position or interval that separates two things
| Español | entre |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 가운데에 gaunde-e, 사이에 sai-e, 간에 gan-e |
| 日本語 | …の間に |
| 中文 | 之間 /之间 zhījiān, 間 /间 jiān |
| हिन्दी | ... के बीच ... ke bīc |
| Português | entre |
| Français | entre |
| Deutsch | zwischen |
| Italiano | tra, fra |
| Ελληνικά | ανάμεσα anámesa, μεταξύ metaxý |
| Română | între |
| Русский | ме́жду méždu, меж mež, посреди́ posredí, среди́ sredí |
| Tiếng Việt | giữa, ở giữa |
| العربية | بَيْنَ bayna |
| עברית | בֵּין bēn |
prep shared in confidence by
| Español | entre |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | -끼리 -kkiri |
| Português | entre |
| Français | entre |
| Italiano | tra, fra |
| Română | între |
| Русский | среди́ sredí, ме́жду méždu |
prep in transit from one to the other
| Español | entre |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 간을 gan-eul |
| Português | entre |
| Deutsch | zwischen |
| Italiano | tra, fra |
| Română | între |
| עברית | בין bein |
Talk about this word "between." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/between. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. between. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/between "between." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/between.Cite this
@misc{between_2026,
title = {between},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/between},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
