middle way

English

Etymology

From middle + way. Compare Dutch middelweg, German Mittelweg; compare also Latin via media.

Noun

middle way (plural middle ways)

  1. The middle of three paths.
  2. An intermediate course (of action, policy etc) between two extremes; a compromise.
    • 2009, Simon Tisdall, The Guardian, 21 Sep 09:
      Obama's choice, according to McChrystal, a former special forces commander, boils down to this: Escalate or evacuate, get on or get out; there is no middle way that does not invite calamity on a grand scale.
  3. The midpoint of a person's life; middle age.
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