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Zelda Thuong
2020-11-30 06:11
Betwixt and between British American adverb phrase adjective phrase
The adverb betwixt, originally meaning "by two," is now poetic or archaic and is seldom heard except in this expression.
My friend, Rose is betwixt and between these two dresses to wear for the wedding party tonight.
It seems betwixt and between to choose either of the gifts because I love them all.
Lisa is betwixt and between about refusing the offer.
This idiom is used as an adjective as well as an adverb in a sentence.
She is betwixt and between about going Canada or Us to study.
My husband and I are betwixt and between canceling the flight or just changing the departure date.
(Image source: In the Land of Pioneer by Wendy Given - rinse.io)
In Old English, when these two individual words appeared (“betwixt” as betweox and “between” as betweonum), they were synonyms. And they still mean the same thing, though the old-fashioned “betwixt” now conveys an air of antiquity when used alone. The first usage of this idiom was found in 1789, and this idiom is also found in a novel "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson published in 1886.
Both words are derived from prehistoric Germanic compounds—reconstructed as bi-twiska and bi-twihna—meaning “at the middle point of two,” according to the American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
Do you see anything wrong?
To fall suddenly and heavily to the ground
The biggest building was caved in last night due to the historic storm ever.
