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Betwixt and between have similar origins: they both come from a combination of be- ("make, cause to be, treat as") and related Old English roots. Both words appeared before the 12th century, but use of betwixt dropped off considerably toward the end of the 1600s. It never fully disappeared, however, surviving especially in the phrase "betwixt and between" ("neither one thing nor the other"). Nathaniel Hawthorne employed betwixt no fewer than thirteen times in The Scarlet Letter, as when writing of "fear betwixt" the young, guilt-stricken minister Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne, as well as "a kind of horror at her boldness, who had spoken what he vaguely hinted at, but dared not speak." Nowadays, betwixt is uncommon, but it isn't archaic; it's simply used more purposefully than between, as it tends to lend a certain old-timey feel to speech and writing.
Cite this Entry
“Betwixt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/betwixt. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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betwixt
adverb or preposition
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