Mids

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Referring to the middle portions of something ; indicating items or events occurring halfway through a process or period ; describing parts situated centrally within a sequence or structure
2. Denoting the central segments or phases in time or space ; relating to elements positioned midway between two points ; characterizing things located at an intermediate stage or position
3. Pertaining to middle sections or intervals ; specifying moments or objects at the midpoint ; identifying components found in the center region of a set or timeline

Etymology: "Mids" is a shortened form of "midst," and it is a good example of how a word can keep a grammatical ending long after the ending stopped doing any work. The base word "midst" goes back to Old English "on middes," meaning "in the middle of," where "middes" was the genitive of "midde," the Old English adjective for "middle." Over time the "-s" dropped off "midst" by ordinary phonetic wear, and the resulting noun came to stand alone, as in "in the midst of the crowd." The clipped form "mids" presumably came from the same process, with "-s" added back as either a genitive or plural ending. Its meaning follows the sense of "midst": the central or inner portions of something, or the stretch of time or process that lies halfway through.

Synonyms: midpoints, middles

Antonyms: ends, edges