Etymology and origin of the English word downside
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Compound
- First attested
- 1612 before 1612, Fowler's translation of Petrarch's Triumphs
- Ultimate origins
- English downOld English side
From the same root
Pronunciation
- /ˈdaʊnˌsaɪd/[1]
Etymology
It is a compound from English down + side,[2][3][4][5] formed after upside.[2] The phrase downside up was made after upside down.[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
The underside or lower side: before 1612, in Fowler's translation of Petrarch's Triumphs.[2] Merriam-Webster and Etymonline date it to 1683 and the 1680s.[6][3]
Semantic evolution
The modern senses come from business.[2] In the United States a downside was a fall in share prices from 1905, chiefly in the phrase on the downside,[2][6] and as an adjective, of a possible fall in value, from 1938, as in downside risk.[2] From 1972 it also meant the risk that an investment will lose value.[2] The general sense, the disadvantage or drawback of something, is recorded from 1977, again first in the United States;[2] Etymonline's date for it is 1995.[3] The Shorter Oxford dates these senses to the mid-20th century.[4]
Timeline
- before 1612 – the underside.[2]
- 1664 – adverb, downwards, on the lower side.[2]
- 1905 – a fall in share prices.[2]
- 1938 – adjective, of a possible fall in value.[2]
- 1972 – the risk that an investment will fall in value.[2]
- 1977 – a drawback or disadvantage.[2]
Meanings
Noun
- The negative side of something; a drawback or disadvantage: The downside of the job is the long commute.[6][2][4]
- A downward trend, as of prices, especially in on the downside.[6][2]
- The risk that an investment will lose value.[2][4]
- The lower side; the underside.[6][2]
Adjective
- Relating to a possible fall in value, as in downside risk.[2]
Related words
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry
“Downside.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/downside. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.
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