# means / middle



## ThomasK

While browsing in a Finnish dictionary I noticed that _väli_- (between, maybe middle) was part of the word for 'tool, instrument'. That seemed strange to me but then I realized there are lots of parallels in languages I know: 

Dutch: 
midden (middle) vs. middel (means)

French: 
milieu, moyenne (average) vs. moyen (means)

German:
Mitte (centre) vs. Mittel

English: 
mean (average) vs. means

Do you see that in your language as well? 

_And by the way: any explanation? Is an instrument/ tool (the means) an extension of our body/ ourselves and somehow posited between us and things outside us?_


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## bibax

It is common in Slavic languages.

Czech:

*střed* (noun) = middle;
*prostředek* = instrument, vehicle, agent (as in cleaning agent);
*prostředník* = conciliator, mediator, middleman;

Russian:

*середина* (seredina) = middle;
*сред* (sred) = milieu, environs;
*среди* (sredi) = amid, midst;
*средство* (sredstvo) = instrument, agent (like prostředek in Czech);


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## ThomasK

Really? How do you interpret 'instrument' here? As a tool, I suppose...


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## bibax

I am afraid that English is not too convenient to explain the Czech word prostředek (and Russian средство).

I think prostředek is an exact equivalent to the German das Mittel.

Some examples:

prostředek hromadné dopravy = Massenverkehrsmittel;
prostředek mírnící bolest = schmerzstillendes Mittel; Schmerzmittel;
výrobní prostředek = Fertigungsmittel;
prostředek proti hmyzu = Insektenbekämpfungsmittel;
donucovací prostředek = Zwangsmittel, 
prostředek řízení = Führungsmittel;
devisový prostředek = Devisenmittel;
finanční prostředek = Geldmittel;
dopravní prostředek = Beförderungsmittel; Verkehrsmittel; Transportmittel;
hasicí prostředek = Löschmittel; Feuerlöschmittel;
flotační prostředek = Flotationsmittel; Schwimmmittel; (three m's )
hnací prostředek = Treibmittel;
jazykový prostředek = Sprachmittel;
kárný prostředek = Zuchtmittel;


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

Middle-->Μέση ('mesi, _feminine noun_); classical noun «μέση» ('mĕsē) with the same meaning.
Mean/means: Μέσο/μέσα ('meso, _neuter noun, nominative singular_/'mesa, _neuter noun, nominative plural_). «Μέσο» is the tool, instrument in the sense of a _medium_. With «μέσα» we usually describe the _public means of transport_ or the _mass media_. Although in modern Greek, the dative case has not survived, we use the set expression «μέσω» ('meso with omega) which derives from the classical  _Dativus instrumenti _«μέσῳ» ('mĕsō) to denote an instrument or means of a certain action, e.g. "I got her address _μέσω _a friend"-->I got her address _with the use/by means of_ a friend


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## ThomasK

So in Greek too. Thanks! - And thanks, Bibax, for the extra examples!


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## Rallino

*Turkish:*

Middle: orta
Average: ortalama (lit. middling)

means: araç

_araç_ also means _vehicle_.


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## sakvaka

I'll also tell the *Finnish* word, in addition to your initialization. 

_väli_ = space (_betw. two things_), root for anything "in-between"
_väline_ = instrument, tool


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## rusita preciosa

A couple of small corrections for Russian:


> bibax;9321333]Russian:
> 
> *середина* (seredina) = middle;
> *средa* (sreda) = milieu, environment;
> *среди* (sredi) = amid, midst;
> *средство* (sredstvo) = instrument, agent means
> по*сред*ник (posrednik) = agent / middle-man
> инструмент (instrument) = instrument , tool (not related to "middle")


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## CapnPrep

ThomasK said:


> French:
> milieu, moyenne (average) vs. moyen (means)


_Milieu _is actually _mi-_ + _lieu_, so only the first part (< _medius_) shares a root with _moyen_ (< _medianus_).



> _And by the way: any explanation? Is an instrument/ tool (the means) an extension of our body/ ourselves and somehow posited between us and things outside us?_


An instrument _intervenes_ or _intercedes_ between the agent and the desired result. It serves as an _intermediary_ or _mediator_.


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## Outsider

I suspect that this connection is the rule in the Romance languages, where the words for "means" and for "middle" derive from *medium* (plural *media*). It's not difficult to see how one concept leads to the other. Just think of the saying "the ends do not justify the means". This immediately evokes an image where the "means" lie in the middle of the sequence start-means-ends.


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## bibax

> A couple of small corrections for Russian:
> средство (sredstvo) = instrument, agent means;



The problem is that Czech prostředek, Russian средство and German Mittel are very often translated into English as _agent_ (< Lat. agens < agere = to do).

For example:

отбеливающее средство (Ru)
bělicí prostředek (Cz)
bleichendes Mittel, Bleichmittel (Ger)
=
bleaching *agent* (En);

The bleaching agent is not a secret agent who bleaches, of course.


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## rusita preciosa

bibax said:


> отбеливающее средство (Ru)
> bělicí prostředek (Cz)
> bleichendes Mittel, Bleichmittel (Ger)
> =
> bleaching *agent* (En);


I agree with you in this case


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## ThomasK

Thanks, everyone !

As for the explanation: we seem to agree with what I suggested in #1, i.e., something 'between' user and target/ goal (maybe I formulated it somewhat clumsily). 

As I can see it: there is no parallel in Turkish, or is there, Rallino ?


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## Rallino

ThomasK said:


> ...
> As I can see it: there is no parallel in Turkish, or is there, Rallino ?



I can't see any.  ^^


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## ThomasK

I just needed confirmation to be sure, sorry! Maybe ther will still be older or less common words referring to tools, instruments, etc., as I had never thought of that link myself before either (in my own language).


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## Orlin

I think that in other Slavic languages such relation exists too - e. g.:
Bulgarian:
сред*а*/sred*a* = middle/milieu;
ср*е*дство/sr*e*dstvo = means;
поср*е*дник/posr*e*dnik = intermediary, agent.

Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian:
sredina = middle/milieu;
sredstvo = means;
posrednik = intermediary, agent.


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## ThomasK

Quite interesting, thanks. Can we now invite the rest of the world to join here?


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## Orlin

ThomasK said:


> Can we now invite the rest of the world to join here?


 
Of course! I just wanted to confirm that Slavic languages are quite uniform in this aspect as it was suggested in previous posts. You've most probably seen many examples in which our group totally disagrees but it isn't so here.


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## Gavril

The most common word (I think?) for "means" in Finnish is _keino(t)__, _which isn't connected to the meaning "middle" as far as I know. According to one source, the earlier meaning of _keino _was "a type of snare used in hunting".


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## ThomasK

Really? But how about my _*vali*_-word ? Not... 'valid' ? ;-) It was so fascinating to find the resemblance between all those words...


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## Gavril

ThomasK said:


> Really? But how about my _*vali*_-word ? Not... 'valid' ? ;-) It was so fascinating to find the resemblance between all those words...



_väline _(< _väli_) means "implement / tool" and in some contexts "medium" -- for example, _tiedotusvälineet _= "(news) media". _väline _can also mean "means", but (in my experience, at least) _keino _is the more common word for this meaning. 

For example, _millä keinoilla _"by what means?", _omin keinoin _"by one's own means", _meillä ei ole keinoa _"we don't have the means", etc.


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## ThomasK

I see, thanks. I was thinking of tools but did not realize that "means" is way broader.


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