MIDDLE

[adjective] [before noun; not gradable]In the sequence a, b, c, d, e the middle letter is c, because there are an equal number of letters on each side of it.Jane sits at the middle desk, between the other two.It's a middle-sized (= average-sized) sheepdog.The measures will assist low and middle income families.The scheme was discussed at a meeting of about 30 junior and middle-ranking ministers.The middle child in a family is the one who has the same number of older brothers and sisters as younger brothers and sisters.She's the middle child of three.A language which is described as Middle comes from a stage in its development between its origin and its present form.14th century Middle EnglishMiddle FrenchTo follow/steer/take a/the middle course/path/way is to act in a way that is not extreme and that you consider will cause least harm.Most parents try to steer a middle course between imposing very strict discipline and letting their kids run wild.I'd rather take the middle way and not do anything too extreme.Middle age is the period of your life, usually considered to be from about 40 to 60 years old, when you are no longer young, but are not yet old.(humorous) You know you've reached middle age when you start to worry about mortgages and pensions.They're a middle-aged couple, with grown-up children.(disapproving) What a conventional, middle-aged (= too careful and not showing the enthusiasm, energy or style of someone young) attitude he has to life!Middle-age spread is a humorous name for the fatness, esp. around the waist, that some people get as they grow older.The Middle Ages were a period in European history, esp. between about 1000 AD and 1500 AD, when the power of kings, people of high rank and the Christian Church was strong. Some people consider that the Middle Ages began in about 600 AD.Middle America/England is the part of American/English society that is neither rich nor poor and does not have extreme political or religious opinions.Middle America is also Mexico, Central America, Panama and the West Indies, or it is the Midwest in the US.(specialized) Middle C is the musical note C near to the middle of the piano's range.The middle class or middle classes are the people in a society who are not of high social rank or extremely rich but are not poor. They expect to be able to have a good job and/or a college education.It's an agricultural country without a large middle class.The upper middle class tend to go into business or the professions, becoming, for example, lawyers, doctors or accountants.White Plains is a largely middle-class suburb of New York.Compare lower class at lower; upper class at upper (HIGHER); working class at work (ACTIVITY).In running, a middle-distance race is run over a medium distance, esp. 800 or 1500 metres.a middle-distance eventa middle-distance runnerThe middle distance is the part of a picture or a view that is neither very near nor very far away.From the top of the hill we could see the ocean far away and in the middle distance the village. Compare background; foreground.The middle ear is the central part of the ear, behind the eardrum, through which sound travels.The Middle East (US also Mideast) is the area from the eastern Mediterranean to Iran. It includes Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq. It sometimes also includes Egypt.He's from somewhere in the Middle East.Middle Eastern capitals include Baghdad and Tel Aviv. Compare Far East at far (DISTANCE).Your middle finger is your longest finger.In an argument, the middle ground is a position between two opposite opinions.The UN peace envoy has failed to find any middle ground between the government and the opposition parties.Middle management is the people within a company who are in charge of departments or groups but who are below those who are in control of the company as a whole.There are very few women above middle management.She's a middle manager.A middle name is the name some people have between their first name and their last name.Henry George James Smythe has two middle names - George and James.(figurative informal) Can he tell a joke? - Funny is his middle name (= He is very amusing).A person, organization, opinion or type of entertainment that is middle-of-the-road is not extreme and is acceptable to or liked by most people.They adopted a sensible, middle-of-the-road policy on defence spending.(disapproving) They criticised boring, predictable middle-of-the-road TV broadcasts that are screened because they are safe and unlikely to offend.In some parts of the UK and the US, and in some other countries, a middle school is a school for children between the ages of about 9 and 14.The Middle West is the Midwest.