What does mid mean?
Mid describes a position or point that lies in the middle of a period, sequence, or development. It is particularly common before dates, ages, seasons, and decades: mid-January, mid-30s, and mid-season. Such uses are often hyphenated, although compounds such as midday, midnight, and midweek are written as single words. As a noun, mid denotes a central area or stage and appears most often in golf, where it refers to the central portion of the putting green. In broader informal use, phrases such as “in the mid” can mean the middle of an event or process. Mid is concise and familiar, but middle is often preferable when naming the central part of a physical object or interval. The word belongs to the same Old English family as middle, midst, and middling.
Located in the middle of a period, range, or sequence.
"Heavy rain is common in mid-summer in parts of Britain."
Usually used attributively and commonly hyphenated when placed before a named month, decade, or similar expression.
The central or middle part, especially the central area of a golf green.
"Her approach landed on the mid and rolled close to the hole."
This use is relatively uncommon outside golf and informal sports commentary.
The plural is rare and normally occurs when mid is used independently for different central areas or positions.
"The balls finished on opposite mids."
Short for “middle,” mid is also the building block of a time-bound web of words, from midday and midnight to midweek and midstream.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mid come from?
Mid descends from Old English midd, meaning “middle” or “between.” It is a Germanic formation associated with the same broad root that produced Middle English middel, the source of modern middle. The related forms midst and middling developed from the same Old English base, while compounds such as midday and midweek combine mid with other elements to name a central or intervening time.
Related word forms
How mid is actually used
Standalone mid is relatively informal and is most natural in specific contexts. Before a named month, it normally takes a hyphen, as in mid-July; with a decade or year, the conventional form is mid-1990s or mid-2024. As a noun, mid is much more restricted and is especially familiar from golf and sports commentary.
Easily confused with mid
Mid usually describes a position or stage within a period or sequence, while middle more generally names the central part of something or the part between two ends.
Mid refers to a central position or stage, whereas median concerns the middle value in an ordered series or a line dividing a shape into two equal parts.