middling
[ mid-ling ]
/ ˈmɪd lɪŋ /
adjective
medium, moderate, oraverage in size, quantity, or quality: The returns on such a large investment may be only middling.
mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; pedestrian: The restaurant's entrées are no better than middling.
Older Use.
in fairly good health.
adverb
moderately; fairly.
noun
middlings,
any of various products or commodities of intermediate quality, grade, size, etc., as the coarser particles of ground wheat mingled with bran.
Often middlings. Also called middling meat. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.
salt pork or smoked side meat.
OTHER WORDS FROM middling
mid·dling·ly, adverbWords nearby middling
middleton,
middletone,
middletown,
middleware,
middleweight,
middling,
middlings,
middx,
middy,
middy blouse,
mideast
Definition for middling (2 of 2)
middle
[ mid-l ]
/ ˈmɪd l /
adjective
noun
verb (used with or without object), mid·dled, mid·dling.
Chiefly Nautical.
to fold in half.
Origin of middle
before 900; Middle English, Old English
middel; cognate with German
mittel; akin to Old Norse
methal among. See
mid1
SYNONYMS FOR middle
7
midpoint.
Middle,
center,
midst indicate something from which two or more other things are (approximately or exactly) equally distant.
Middle denotes, literally or figuratively, the point or part equidistant from or intermediate between extremes or limits in space or in time:
the middle of a road.
Center, a more precise word, is ordinarily applied to a point within circular, globular, or regular bodies, or wherever a similar exactness appears to exist:
the center of the earth; it may also be used metaphorically (still suggesting the core of a sphere):
center of interest.
Midst usually suggests that a person or thing is closely surrounded or encompassed on all sides, especially by that which is thick or dense:
the midst of a storm.
Example sentences from the Web for middling
British Dictionary definitions for middling (1 of 2)
middling
/ (ˈmɪdlɪŋ) /
adjective
mediocre in quality, size, etc; neither good nor bad, esp in health (often in the phrase fair to middling)
adverb
informal
moderately
middling well
Derived forms of middling
middlingly, adverbWord Origin for middling
C15 (northern English and Scottish): from
mid
1 +
-ling ²
British Dictionary definitions for middling (2 of 2)
middle
/ (ˈmɪdəl) /
adjective
noun
verb (tr)
Word Origin for middle
Old English
middel; compare Old Frisian
middel, Dutch
middel, German
mittel
Idioms and Phrases with middling (1 of 2)
middling
see fair to middling.
Idioms and Phrases with middling (2 of 2)
middle
see caught in the middle; in the middle of; play both ends against the middle.