aside

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈsaɪd/^[1]

Etymology

It is a Middle English compound, first on side,^[2][3] of a- “on” and side.^[4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

“Off to one side”: about 1300 in Etymonline,^[4] about 1369 in the OED, “sideways, obliquely”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

“To or from the side” is from the mid-14th century,^[4] and “out of the way, away” from about 1380 in the OED,^[7] the late 14th century in Etymonline.^[4] “Away from the main body, into privacy” is from about 1450,^[7] and “out of consideration or use”, as in lay aside and set aside, from about 1440.^[7] In law, to set aside a verdict is to annul it, from 1844.^[7] The colloquial preposition, “beyond, besides”, is from the 1590s,^[4] 1592 in Merriam-Webster, now obsolete.^[8] The noun, words spoken so as to be supposedly inaudible, is from 1727 in Etymonline,^[4] about 1751 in Merriam-Webster.^[8] Middle English also had asidely “indirectly” and asideward “sideways”.^[4] In northern and midland dialect aside was also a preposition meaning “beside, near”.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 1300 – off to one side.^[4]
• c. 1380 – out of the way.^[7]
• c. 1440 – out of consideration, set aside.^[7]
• c. 1450 – into privacy.^[7]
• 1590s – preposition.^[4]
• 1727 – noun, a stage aside.^[4]
• 1844 – to annul a verdict.^[7]

Modern meaning

Adverb

1. To or toward the side: stepped aside.
2. Away from others; apart, in private: took him aside.
3. In reserve; away for later use: put money aside.
4. Out of one's thoughts; out of consideration: jokes aside.
5. Apart from; except for: aside from that.

Noun

1. Words spoken by an actor to the audience and supposedly not heard by the other characters.
2. A remark made in an undertone.
3. A digression.

Word family

• set-aside
• aside from
• step aside

Related words

• side
• beside
• besides
• sideways

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)