amongst

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈmʌŋst/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English amonges, from among with the adverbial genitive -s or -es.^[2][3][4][5] The final -t, unetymological, appeared in the 16th century, probably by association with superlatives in -st and -est, as in amidst and against;^[2][3][5] Barnhart also allows that it was added for ease of articulation, as in betwixt.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Amonges, in the senses of among: before 1250 in Barnhart, the mid-13th century in Etymonline, about 1250 in the OED.^[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The OED notes that amongst is less usual than among in the primary local sense, “in the midst of”.^[6] It shares all the senses of among.^[7][6] The COED labels it chiefly British,^[8] and Collins, the LDOCE, MWU and Chambers give it as an alternative form of among.^{[9][10][4][11]} In Oxfordshire dialect amongst the middlins meant not in very good health.^[12]

Timeline

• c. 1250 – amonges.^[6][2]
• 16th century – the ending -st.^[2][3][5]

Modern meaning

Preposition

1. (chiefly Brit.) Among: in the midst of, in the group of, or shared between.

Related words

• among
• amidst
• against
• betwixt
• whilst
• mingle

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
10. ^ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), 5th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman
11. ^ The Chambers Dictionary (2008), 11th ed., Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap
12. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)