adjectiveadverb

zwischenzeitlich

in the meantime · interim · temporary

Für eine gewisse Zeit dazwischen; bis etwas anderes passiert oder weitergeht.

Definition & meaning

The German adverb "zwischenzeitlich" is used to describe something that happens, exists, or is valid during an interval between two events or two points in time. It typically refers to an "in-between" phase.

There are two primary ways to interpret this word:

In the meantime / Interim: It refers to something that takes place during the time while waiting for another event to occur (e.g., "We will continue to work on the project in the meantime").
Temporarily / For a time: It describes a state that was true at some point in the past or present, but may have changed or was only valid for a specific duration (e.g., "The plan was temporarily approved, but later rejected").

Grammar & Word origin

"Zwischenzeitlich" is an adverb. It is a compound word derived from:

Zwischen: meaning "between".
Zeit: meaning "time".
-lich: a suffix used to form adjectives or adverbs, often denoting a characteristic or a temporal relation.

Etymologically, it combines the concept of the time gap (Zwischenzeit ) with the suffix indicating the manner or timing of the action.