Etymologically
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aside

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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

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)