old english notes for today:

the preposition "with": in old english, does not have the meaning of "together with". rather, its opposite: against, contra. they had a different preposition, "mid," to mean what modern english "with" does: "alongside of." "mid" has fallen away and in modern english "with" has annexed the function of "mid" to mean "together," which is why you can "fight with someone" on the same side or on opposing sides. but "mid" survives in at least one instance of modern english: in the word midwife, a midwife being a woman (wife) who is by the side of the one givinig birth.