† betwixenbetwixeprep.

Etymology: Middle English bi- , betwixe(n , 12th cent. bitwixan , -twuxan , -tweoxe , pointing to an Old English *betweoxan (for which the Pastoral Care has betweoxn ), apparently for earlier *be-tweoxum , -tweohsum , originally Old English *bi-twihsum < *-twicsum , *-twiscum ; < bi- , be- prefix + *twiscum , dative plural of *twisc adjective, in Old Saxon twisc , Old High German zuiski , Middle High German zwisc , zwisch < Old Germanic twiskjo- ‘two-fold,’ < twa , two adj., n., and adv. + -ish suffix¹ (i)sc . The same idea (inter duos , entre deux ) was expressed in Old High German by the dative plural zuiskên , Middle High German zwischen , with a preceding preposition, untar , undar , in , en (compare modern German zwischen < 'nzwischen , Dutch tusschen ). The ordinary form in Old English was betweox (see betwixt prep.); but bitweoxan , bitwixan , became frequent a1200, probably because of its analogy to the numerous other prepositions in -an , Middle English -en . For the subsequent history see betwixt prep. and adv.