Etymology

midspan

M3I1D2S1P3A1N1

Today it means: In structural engineering, the point on a flexural member (typically a beam, girder, or spandrel panel) that is equidistant from the two end supports. Full definition →

English span ← Middle English spanne ← Old English spann
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*me
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*médʰi
  4. Proto-Indo-European*médʰyos
  5. Proto-Germanic*midjaz
  6. Proto-West Germanic*midi
  7. Old Englishmidd
  8. Middle Englishmid
  9. Englishmid
  10. Englishmid-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*(s)pend-
  12. Proto-Germanic*spannō
  13. Old Englishspann
  14. Middle Englishspanne
  15. Englishspan
  16. English todaymidspan

From mid- + span.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.