Etymologically
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alongside

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /əˌlɒŋˈsaɪd/, US /əˈlɑːŋ.saɪd/, /əˈlɔːŋ.saɪd/[1]

Etymology

It is a contraction of a prepositional phrase formed from along and side.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adverb, close to the side of a ship: 1707 in the OED, MW and Etymonline, 1704 in MWU.[4][5][2][3] It was at first chiefly nautical.[2]

Semantic evolution

With of, side by side with, also figuratively, it is from 1781.[4] The preposition without of is from 1793 in the OED and Etymonline, 1776 in MW.[4][2][5] In company with, or in addition to, are later extensions.[3]

Timeline

  • 1704 – first known use.[3]
  • 1707 – by the side of a ship.[4][2]
  • 1781 – alongside of.[4]
  • 1793 – preposition.[4][2]

Modern meaning

Preposition

  1. Next to, or along the side of.
  2. Together with: work alongside others.
  3. In comparison with.

Adverb

  1. At or close to the side; in a parallel position.

Word family

  • alongside of
  • free alongside ship

Usage notes

As a preposition alongside may be followed by of: the barge lay alongside, or alongside of, the pier.[6]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin