amidstとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

amids +‎ -t (excrescent), from amid +‎ -s (genitive); surface analysis as amid +‎ -st (excrescent). Root amid from Middle English amidde, amiddes, on midden, from 古期英語 on middan (“in the middle”), from midd (“central”) (English mid).

発音

• (General American, Received 発音) IPA^(key): /aˈmɪdst/, /əˈmɪtst/
• 韻: -ɪdst

前置詞

amidst

1. In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among.
   • 1748, [David Hume], chapter 4, in Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 642589706:

     Be a philosopher ; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.

   • 1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., OCLC 17392886; republished as chapter 5, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, 1914, OCLC 1224185:

     Not so, however, with Tarzan, the man-child. His life amidst the dangers of the jungle had taught him to meet emergencies with self-confidence, and his higher intelligence resulted in a quickness of mental action far beyond the powers of the apes.

   Synonyms: amid, among, amongst

使用する際の注意点

As with other words with excrescent suffix -st, amidst is generally considered synonymous with simpler amid, and amid is preferred by style guides on both sides of the Atlantic.^[1]

Further, amidst/amid are similar in meaning to – but distinct from – amongst/among. Amid(st) denotes that something is "in the midst of", "surrounded by" other things, and is used when the idea of separate things is not prominent. Among(st) denotes that something is mingling with other separable things ("blessed art thou among women").

Some speakers feel it is an obsolete form of amid. Amidst is more common in British English than American English, though it is used to some degree in both.

参照