Midst

n. [Contracted from middest, the superlative of mid.] The interior or central part; the middle.

There is nothing said or done in the midst of the play which might not have been placed in the beginning. Dryden.

In the midst of, among; amid; also, surrounded by; involved in; in the thickest of; overwhelmed by.

☞ The phrases in our midst, in your midst, in their midst, instead of in the midst of us, you, or them, have unhappily gained great currency in this country, and are sometimes, though rarely, to be found in the writings of reputable English authors. The expressions seem contrary to the genius of the language, as well as opposed to the practice of our best and most accurate writers, and should therefore be abandoned.

Synonyms—MIDST, MIDDLE. Midst is the superlative of mid (middle), denoting the very center, and hence implies surrounded by, involved in, in the thickest of; as, in the midst of a forest, of the waves, of darkness, &c. Middle has no such intensive sense, and is often applied to extent in only one direction; as, the middle of a line, of the street, &c. Midst is very frequently used abstractly or figuratively; as, in the midst of afflictions, cares, &c.; middle is never thus used with propriety. We can not say, in the middle of my contemplations on that subject, but in the midst.

In the middle. On earth, join all ye creatures to extol Him first, him last, him midst, and without end. Milton.