Dictionary Definition
between adv
1 in the interval; "dancing all the dances with
little rest between" [syn: betwixt]
2 in between; "two houses with a tree between"
[syn: 'tween]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
Old English betwēonumPreposition
between- In the position or
interval that separates
(two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See the Usage notes
below.)
- John stood between Amy and Mary.
- Let's meet between two and three.
- I want to buy one that costs somewhere between forty and fifty dollars.
- Let's meet between two and three.
- John stood between Amy and Mary.
- Shared in
confidence.
- Between you and me, I think the boss is crazy.
- Let's keep this between ourselves.
- Between you and me, I think the boss is crazy.
- In transit from (one
to the other, or connecting places).
- He's between jobs right now.
- The shuttle runs between the town and the airport.
- He's between jobs right now.
- Combined (by
effort or ownership).
- Between us all, we shall succeed.
- We've only got £5 between us.
- Between us all, we shall succeed.
- One of (representing a choice).
- You must choose between him and me.
Usage notes
- Some usage guides claim that Between is correctly used when applied to two things, and that for more than two things, among should be used instead. However, the OED writes, "V. 19. In all senses, between has been, from its earliest appearance, extended to more than two...it is still the only word available to express the relation of a thing to many surrounding things severally and individually, among expressing a relation to them collectively and vaguely: we should not say ‘the space lying among the three points,’ or ‘a treaty among three powers,’ or ‘the choice lies among the three candidates in the select list,’ or ‘to insert a needle among the closed petals of a flower.’"
Translations
in the position or interval that separates two
things
- Arabic: (bayna)
- Catalan: entre
- Czech: mezi
- Danish: mellem
- Dutch: tussen
- Esperanto: inter
- Finnish: välissä, keskellä
- French: entre
- West Frisian: tusken
- German: zwischen
- Greek: ανάμεσα
- Hebrew: בין (bein)
- Ido: inter
- Italian: tra, fra
- Japanese: 間 (あいだ, aida)
- Latin: inter
- Persian: اندر
- Polish: pomiędzy, między
- Portuguese: entre
- Romanian: între
- Russian: между, посреди
- Spanish: entre
- Swedish: mellan
- Welsh: rhwng
shared in confidence by
- Danish: mellem, imellem
- Dutch: onder ons gezegd en gezwegen
- Esperanto: inter
- Finnish: kesken
- French: entre
- Kurdish:
- Polish: między
- Portuguese: entre
- Russian: среди
- Swedish: mellan
in transit from one to the other
combined by effort or ownership
- Danish: tilsammen, ved fælles hjælp, i forening
- Dutch: onder
- Finnish: kesken, yhteensä
- Portuguese: entre
one of, representing a choice
See also
Extensive Definition
Between in Anne
McCaffrey's Dragonriders
of Pern series is a dimension through which dragons
and fire
lizards travel during the process of teleportation, referred to
as "going between". If the dragon does not have a clear picture of
its destination in mind, it is possible for the dragon and its
passengers to become permanently lost in this dimension.
Deliberately going "between" without a destination in mind is how
dragons suicide, usually occurring when the rider that they are
soul-bonded to dies of illness or injury, or if the dragon itself
is mortally injured. Many characters, fire lizards, and dragons
have been lost "between" (i.e. "Moreta's
Ride"). In Todd
McCaffrey's Dragonsblood,
several make it out of "between" after they are lost.
"Between" is universally described as a place of
nothingness. Usually, for a dragon to teleport using its rider's
directions, they stay in "between" for the time that it takes to
cough three times. Fire lizards take eight seconds to teleport
anywhere on the planet. "Between" frequently causes cystitis and
child-bearing problems in female dragonriders. Going "between"
without proper coordinates is a frequent cause of death for
inexperienced weyrlings.
"Between" is characterized by extreme cold (far
below zero yet not as cold as outer space) and induces near-total
sensory deprivation in humans who travel through it on dragonback.
This effect on the rider can be nullified, however, through the use
of a space suit and oxygen. Dragons and fire lizards deliberately
use this ability to destroy any Thread
which they come in contact with, as only fire, water, or the
extreme cold of "between" is capable of killing this
parasite.
Dragons are also capable of travelling "between"
times, but this can only be used when they have a point of
reference for that time, such as star positions or a vivid memory.
The White Dragon, Ruth, could
travel between to any time without fail, including to the future.
"Timing it" was known to many riders a long time ago, but, since
Lessa and
Ramoth
brought the weyrs forward, it was kept a secret. Riders who "Time"
to a very distant era without protective gear, or to a past
location in close proximity of their past self can experience fatal
fatigue and disorientation. Since its discovery, the knowledge of
this ability has been restricted, and only Bronze dragons are
permitted to utilise it under directions from the
Weyrleaders.