aside
/əˈsaɪd/
adverb
Origin
Old English
on side — on the side
Overview
Meaning Now
- to one side; out of the way
- in reserve or for future use
- a remark made by an actor in a play which is intended to be heard by the audience but not by the other characters on stage
Literal older meaning
on side
Language path
Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
on side
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term evolved from a simple prepositional phrase used in Middle English to describe location. Over time, the preposition 'on' weakened to 'a-' and attached to the noun 'side', solidifying into a distinct adverbial form used for both physical placement and the theatrical convention.
Evolution
- Old English
on sīdan
“on the side”
Original prepositional phrase
- Middle English
on side
“to one side”
- 16th century
aside
“to one side”
Fusion of the preposition and the noun into a single adverb
Connections
Word parts
a-
prefix
on, in, at
side
root
side, flank
Related across languages
Dutch
terzijde
aside, to the side
German
beiseite
aside
Related words
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Related to aside
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.