English
between
Between comes from Old English betwēonum ‘between, among’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150betwēonum1‘between’literally ‘by the two, near both’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500betwene1
- Englishearliest quotation 1892between1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English between
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1892, Walter Besant, Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?: “Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language,…”.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150betwēonumWiktionary, English between‘between’literally ‘by the two, near both’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500betweneWiktionary, English between
- Englishearliest quotation 1892betweenWiktionary, English between. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1892, Walter Besant, Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?: “Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language,…”
A compound of *bi- ‘be-’ + *twīhnaz ‘two each’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep- ‘to grab, snatch, get’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁éps
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi ‘on, at’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi
Proto-Germanic *bi ‘by’
Proto-Germanic *bi- ‘be-’
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’
Proto-Germanic *twīhnaz ‘two each’
The story
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. 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”).
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Today it means
prep In the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See Usage notes below.)
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “between”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Old English betwēonum / between