middle name
Definition
- Noun:
- A name that comes between a person's first (given) name and their last (surname or family name). It is often a secondary given name.
Usage
- The middle name is part of a person's full legal name but is not typically used in everyday address. It is often abbreviated to an initial in formal writing.
- It can be used to honor a family member, carry on a tradition, or simply be an additional name chosen by parents.
Examples
- Noun:
- Her full name is Mary Elizabeth Smith, where Elizabeth is her middle name.
- Please write your first name, middle initial, and last name on the form.
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy is often referred to by his initials, JFK.
Advanced Usage
- "to have something as one's middle name": An informal idiom meaning to possess a quality to a very high degree, as if it were an inherent part of one's identity.
- With all her careful planning, she has "organization" as her middle name.
- That athlete has "determination" as his middle name.
Variants and Related Words
- Middle initial (n): The first letter of a middle name, often used in place of the full name.
- Harry S. Truman (The "S." was his middle initial, which did not stand for a specific name).
Synonyms
- Second name (common in some varieties of English).
- Additional given name.
Notes on Different Meanings
- The core meaning is strictly onomastic (related to naming). The idiomatic usage ("to have X as one's middle name") is a figurative extension, implying a defining characteristic.
Noun
-
a name between your first name and your surname
