meantime

Meantime is a word in English that functions as both a noun and an adverb. It denotes the intervening period between now and a specified future time, or between two events. In common usage, the phrase in the meantime means during this interval and is synonymous with meanwhile, during the interim.

Origin and form: The term comes from Middle English as a compound of mean (intermediate) and time, and is closely related to meanwhile. In modern usage, in the meantime is the preferred form in everyday writing.

Usage: Meantime can be used as a noun: the meantime, or as an adverbial phrase in the sentence in the meantime. It often introduces a different activity or event that occurs before the main one; it can also refer to the current period at hand.

Examples: We finished the first draft; in the meantime, the editor will review it. There was a long delay; in the meantime, we waited.

Culture: The word has been used as a title for various works, such as Helmet's 1992 album Meantime. The term appears in literature and media to convey a transitional period or interim scene.

See also: meanwhile, interim, interval, time.