Etymologically
Log in

beside

Etymology and origin of the English word beside

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 1200

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bɪˈsaɪd/ (UK); /bɪˈsaɪd/, /biˈsaɪd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English bisiden, biside, from Old English be sīdan (“by the side”),[2][3][4] from be (“by”) (see by) and sīdan, the dative of sīde (“side”) (see side).[2][5] In Old English the phrase was always written separately.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

By the side of, near: about 1200, as one word, used as both adverb and preposition;[3][2] the 13th century in MWU.[4] Barnhart has the Old English phrase from about 725.[2]

Semantic evolution

The adverb, in addition, is from 1297, but is now generally replaced by besides.[6][2] An alternative Middle English meaning, outside, survives in beside oneself, out of one's wits (late 15th century).[3] Beside the point, irrelevant, follows from the sense away from.[7][8] In Irish and Yorkshire dialect, beside also meant in comparison with.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – by the side of.[3]
  • 1297 – in addition (adverb).[6]
  • late 15th century – beside oneself.[3]

Modern meaning

Preposition

  1. At the side of; next to.
  2. Compared with: beside her, he looks tall.
  3. Apart from; except for.
  4. (beside oneself) Overwhelmed by strong emotion.
  5. (beside the point) Not relevant.

Word family

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  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)
Cite this entry

“Beside.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/beside. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·