“amongst” is a form of
among
/əˈmʌŋ/ preposition, adverb
Forms amonge amoung
- preposition Of a person or thing: in the midst of and surrounded by (other people or things). “to put the cat among the pigeons”
- preposition Associated with or living alongside (other people or things). “How can you speak with authority about their customs when you have never lived among them?”
- preposition Belonging to (a group comprising similar people or things). “He is among the few who completely understand the subject.”
- preposition Distinct in some way from (other members of a group); specifically, superior or pre-eminent compared to (other members of a group).
- preposition Originally, in the course of; during; now, in the circumstances or context of.
- preposition Distributed or divided between (members of a group).
- preposition Done jointly by (two or more people).
- preposition In the general custom or opinion of (members of a group).
- adverb Along with (someone or something); together.
- adverb At the same time, all the while, meanwhile.
- adverb In addition, beside.
- adverb Chiefly with contrasting adjectives or adverbs: from time to time, now and then; also, here and there.
Synonyms
Etymology
The preposition is derived from Middle English among, amang, amange, amonge (“in the presence of, amid, among; in, within; between; during”), from Old English amang, onġemang (preposition), from on (“on, among, in”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- (“on, onto”)) + ġemang (“crowd; mixture”, noun) (from ġe- (prefix forming nouns denoting association or similarity) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”)) + mang- (from mængan, mengan (“to mingle, mix”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *menk- (“to knead; to press”))). By surface analysis, a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’) + mong (“crowd, throng; group”).
The adverb is derived from Middle English among, amang (“accompanied by, along with, by the side of, in association with, together; all the while, continually; also, besides; at the same time; from time to time, occasionally; meanwhile; within”), from Old English onġemang (adverb): see further above.
Webster’s 1913
- preposition Mixed or mingled; surrounded by. They heard, And from his presence hid themselves among The thickest trees. Milton.
- preposition Conjoined, or associated with, or making part of the number of; in the number or class of. Blessed art thou among women. Luke i. 28.
Etymology [OE. amongist, amonges, amonge, among, AS. onmang, ongemang, gemang, in a crowd or mixture. For the ending -st see Amidst. See Mingle.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “among”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details