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.

Translations

middle of three paths

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 中間路線／中间路线 (zhōngjiān lùxiàn)

• Finnish: keskitie, keskimmäinen tie
• French: please add this translation if you can

intermediate course of action

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 中庸之道 (zh) (zhōngyōng zhī dào)

• Finnish: keskitie
• French: please add this translation if you can

midpoint of a person's life

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 人生中點／人生中点 (rénshēng zhōngdiǎn)

• Finnish: keski-ikä (fi)
• French: please add this translation if you can