# between

Pronunciation: US say "buh-TWEEN" /bəˈtwin/; UK say "bi-TWEEN" /bɪˈtwiːn/

## Preposition

1. In the position or interval separating two things, or intermediate in amount or degree.
   - Simple: In the space, time or amount that separates two things.
   - _The village lies between the river and the hills._
   - _Temperatures will be between ten and fifteen degrees._
2. Done together, shared, or exchanged by two or more parties, each taking part individually, as in an agreement between three countries.
   - Simple: Involving two or more people or groups together, each on its own side, as in 'a talk between friends.'
   - _There is an agreement between the two companies._
   - _Trust between doctor and patient takes time._
3. Marking a choice or a distinction among alternatives.
   - Simple: Used when you pick one of two or more things, or tell them apart, as in 'choose between'.
   - _It was a choice between the train and the bus._
   - _Few can tell the difference between the two wines._
4. Traveling or running from one place to another, or linking two places.
   - Simple: Going from one place to the other, or connecting two places, as in 'a bus between towns'.
   - _The ferry sails between the islands twice a day._
   - _A high-speed rail line between the two cities would cut the trip to under an hour._
5. Through the combined effort, ownership, or effect of two or more people or things taken together.
   - Simple: With two or more people or things taken together, adding up their effort, share, or effect.
   - _Between them the children ate the whole cake._
   - _The three of us have one car between us._
6. Shared in confidence and not to be passed on.
   - Simple: Kept private to the people named, as in 'between you and me'.
   - _This stays between the two of us._
   - _Between ourselves, the figures are worse than they say._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A needle shorter than a sharp, with a small rounded eye, for fine stitching on heavy fabric; also 'quilting needle'.

## Origin

From Middle English betwene, from Old English betwēonum ("between, among"), literally "by the two, near both." It comes from Proto-Germanic *bi- ("be-") plus *twīhnaz ("two each"), corresponding to be- + twain, and is cognate with Gothic tweihnai and Old English twinn ("double, twofold").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/between (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).