Etymology Dictionary

AMID, AMIDST,  in the middle of.  (E.)   Amidst is common in Milton, P. L. i. 791; &c.   He also uses amid.   Shak. also has both forms.   α. Amidst is not found in earlier English, and the final t is merely excrescent (as often after s), as in whilst, amongst, from the older forms whiles, amonges.   β. The M.E. forms are amiddes, P. Plowman, B. xiii. 82; in middes, Pricke of Conscience, 2938; amidde, Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 143; on midden, O. Eng. Homilies, i. 87.   γ. Of these, the correct type is the earliest, viz. on midden; whence on-midde, a-midde were formed by the usual loss of final n, and the change of on to a, as in abed, afoot, asleep.   δ. The form amiddes was produced by adding the adverbial suffix -s, properly the sign of a gen. case, but commonly used to form adverbs.—A.S. on middan, in the middle; see examples in Grein, ii. 249, s.v. midde.   Here on is the prep. (mod. E. on), used, as often elsewhere, with the sense of 'in;' and middan is the dat. case of midde, sb. the middle; formed from the adj. mid, middle, cognate with Lat. medius.   See Middle.