English

betwixt

Betwixt comes from Middle English bitwixe ‘in the meantime between two events’, from Old English tweox ‘twofold’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’.

Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwóh₁‘two’reconstructed
Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwís‘twice, doubly’reconstructed
Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*twiskaz‘twofold, double’reconstructed
Old Englishc. 450–1150tweox‘twofold’
Old English, derivedc. 450–1150betweox‘between’
Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bitwixe‘in the meantime between two events’
Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604betwixt

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwóh₁‘two’reconstructed
Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwís‘twice, doubly’reconstructed
Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*twiskaz‘twofold, double’reconstructed
Old Englishc. 450–1150tweox‘twofold’
Old English, derivedc. 450–1150betweox‘between’
Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bitwixe‘in the meantime between two events’
Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604betwixt

Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure: “There was some speech of marriage / Betwixt myself…”

Equivalent to be- ‘by, near, around’ + twixt ‘between’

Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi ‘at, near’

Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi

Proto-Germanic *bi ‘near, by’

Proto-Germanic *bi-

Proto-West Germanic *bi-

English be-

Middle English tuix ‘among’

English twixt

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’

two, doubt, vice, dual, duo, vicious, twin, dubious, disparate, duet, twain, deuce, bes, twig, 21 more

through Proto-Indo-European *dwís ‘twice, doubly’

defeat, binary, diplomacy, bis, biceps, binocular, 12 more

Today it means

prep Between.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ / betwixt

Shirt and support for this word