By Joan WHetzel
I’ve always been intrigued by the word “betwixt.” I
think it’s the “X.” how many times in the average conversation do you get to
use words with the letter x in them? Be
I like it because it’s an older word that nobody uses in modern language.
History of Betwixt
“Betwixt”
is an Old English word coming from a combination of the words be
or by and the Germanic word “twain” meaning two. It
frequently has been shortened to the word “twixt.” Betwixt, like it’s
counterpart between, came to describe something or someone that feel somewhere
in the middle of two extremes – like turquoise falls betwixt blue and green, or
a group of people that are neither gentry or poor, the middle class. In fact,
the phrase “betwixt and between” was first used to describe the middle class in
England. The phrase “betwixt and between” is actually a redundancy, since both
words mean pretty much the same thing.
Betwixt Defined
The first definition of “betwixt” used in almost
every dictionary is the word between. It is also defined as
·
In a middle or midway position
·
Neither one thing nor the other.
·
Unresolved.
·
Midpoint between two places or times.
·
In the interval.
Betwixt Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms include: among, amid, amidst, encompassed
by, in the midst of, in the thick of, mid, surrounded by, or surrounded by.
Antonyms include: away from, outside, or separate.
“Betwixt and Between” synonyms include: debatable,
arguable, between a rock and a hard place, between sixes and sevens, bone of
contention, borderline, chancy, contestable, disputable, doubtful, dubious,
iffy, moot, open to question, problematic, questionable, the jury’s out, touch
and go, uncertain, undecided, unsettled, and up for discussion.
Hmm! I think I’m seeing some uses for the terms
“betwixt” and “betwixt and between” in my won writing. I think I’m gonna have
fun finding was to use them.
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