In the middle of; surrounded by; during the course of.
From Middle English amiddes, formed from 'amid' plus the genitive ending '-es,' later reanalyzed as '-st.' The word 'amid' comes from Old English on middan, meaning 'in the middle.' The '-st' ending was added by analogy with words like 'against' and 'amongst.'
Amidst is a beautifully archaic-sounding word that actually demonstrates how English speakers historically added '-st' endings to make prepositions sound more formal or poetic. It's essentially 'amid' dressed up in fancy clothes, much like 'amongst' versus 'among.'
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