midway
UK[ˌmɪdˈweɪ]US[ˈmɪdˌweɪ]
adj
situated in the middle of a distance or period of time.
adv
in or toward the middle of a distance or period of time.
n
the middle point or part of a distance or period.
Morpheme Breakdown
mid
way
mid
middle
way
path, course
Etymology
the word 'midway' is a transparent compound formed from two old english elements. 'mid', a common germanic root for the center point, combines with 'way', which denotes a path or course. this literal combination, meaning "the middle of the path," was used to describe a physical location equidistant from two points. over time, its application broadened from spatial contexts to include temporal ones, referring to the middle point of any process, journey, or period. the logic of its formation remains perfectly clear, directly connecting the core meanings of its constituent parts to its modern abstract sense of an intermediate point.
Analysis
Structure: mid (middle) + way (path, course)
'mid' is from old english 'midd', meaning "middle," of germanic origin. 'way' is from old english 'weg', meaning "a path, road, course of travel," of germanic origin.
Examples
the town is located midway between the capital and the coast.
she stopped working midway through the project to reassess her goals.
the festival's midway was filled with games and food stalls.