meantime

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmiːntaɪm/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English mene-time, from mean, occupying a middle position, intermediate, and time.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The interval between one time and another: the mid-14th century, as mene-time.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

As an adverb, during the interval, it is attested from the late 14th century.^[2] The noun is properly two words, the mean time, but is commonly written as one after the adverb.^[2] In the mean space, meanwhile, was used in the 16th to 18th centuries.^[2] Merriam-Webster dates the adverb to about 1593.^[3]

Timeline

• mid-14th century – mene-time.^[2]
• late 14th century – the adverb.^[2]
• 16th–18th centuries – in the mean space.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The time between one event and another; an interval, chiefly in the phrase in the meantime.

Adverb

1. During the intervening time; meanwhile.

Related words

• meanwhile
• mean
• time
• interim

Usage notes

In Caithness and Edinburgh Scots, in the middle of the meantime meant meanwhile.^[5]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ 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)