midway

Midway is a term with several related meanings. As an adjective and adverb, midway denotes a point or position that is halfway between two ends or between two events, or something occurring in the middle of a process. The term is etymologically a compound of mid and way, dating to Middle English and used in various languages to express the concept of the middle point along a route or sequence.

In geography and navigation, midway is used to describe a location that lies halfway between two reference points; in geometry it is the midpoint of a line segment. The word also appears in place names and cultural contexts.

Midway Atoll is a remote atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands. It hosts the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The atoll is historically significant as the site of the 1942 Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

The term is also used in cultural contexts. A midway is the central promenade in a fair or carnival, where rides, games, and concessions are located; the Midway Plaisance in Chicago is a notable example from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

Midway is the name of a former American video game company, Midway Games, known for arcade titles such as Mortal Kombat. It operated from the late 1980s until its bankruptcy in 2009, after which Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment acquired many of its assets.