the central part, point, or position of something, the same distance away from all edges or ends
The boat stopped in the middle of the lake.
Please sign your name on the line in the middle of the page.
✦ Old English middel, from Proto-Germanic *midjilaz, related to mid.
located in the center between two points or edges
She sat in the middle seat of the row.
Their house is the middle one on the street.
the area around a person’s waist or stomach
He tied the belt tightly around his middle.
After the holidays, I noticed my middle looked a bit larger.
in or toward the center
Place the picture frame middle on the shelf.
The singer stood middle on the stage under the spotlight.
Computer software that connects an operating system with other software or connects different software applications to each other.
The developer added middleware to link the database and the web app.
Middleware makes it easier for apps to talk to each other over the network.
✦ Formed in the 1980s by combining 'middle' (intermediate layer) and 'ware' (as in software), to describe this bridging technology.
a person or company that buys goods from producers and sells them to retailers or consumers.
Farmers sold their crops to a middleman who supplied the local stores.
The online store cut out the middleman by selling directly to customers.
✦ Late 18th century: from 'middle' + 'man'. Originally used for a trader occupying the middle position in a chain of supply.
