əˈmid preposition
or amidst -idzt, -idst, -itst
Etymology: amid from Middle English amidde, from Old English onmiddan, from on + middan, dative singular masculine of midde, adjective, middle, mid; amidst from Middle English amiddes, from amidde + -s — more at mid
1.
a. : in or into the middle of
burst like a bombshell amidst the contemporary complacency — Isaac Goldberg
amid such a world, if anywhere, our ideals henceforth must find a home — Bertrand Russell
b. : surrounded or encompassed by : among
amidst a patch of snow-covered firs, a sixth cart waited — F.V.W.Mason
amid bulging wicker and pasteboard suitcases and bundles done up in cloth sat elderly men — Andy Logan
2.
a. : in the course of : during
amidst all the fighting there still remained a steady hope for peace
b. : with the accompaniment of — used to indicate that two or more specified conditions or occurrences are linked in time, cause, or circumstance
he completed the feat amidst cheers — Time
the buffaloes, who reproduced so rapidly amidst the favorable environment — R.A.Billington