English word origin

Etymology of aid

From Middle English aide, eide, ayde, from Old French eide, aide, from aidier, from Latin adiūtō, adiūtāre (“to assist, help”). Cognates include Spanish ayuda, Portuguese ajuda and Italian aiuto.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Help; assistance; succor, relief. · A helper; an assistant. · Something which helps; a material source of help. · An historical subsidy granted to the crown by Parliament for an extraordinary purpose, such as a war effort.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionaideenm
Derivation mentioneidefro
Derivation mentionadiutola · to assist, help
Cognate mentionayudaes
Cognate mentionajudapt
Cognate mentionaiutoit

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aide"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aide"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "eide"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French eide"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "adiuto",
        "4": "adiūtō, adiūtāre",
        "t": "to assist, help"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin adiūtō, adiūtāre (“to assist, help”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "ayuda"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish ayuda"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "ajuda"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese ajuda"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "it",
        "2": "aiuto"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian aiuto"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "aide",
      "aide#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "eide",
      "eide#Middle_English"
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      "ayde#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "eide",
      "eide#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "aide",
      "aide#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "aidier",
      "aidier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "adiūtō, adiūtāre",
      "adiuto#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ayuda",
      "ayuda#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "ajuda",
      "ajuda#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "aiuto",
      "aiuto#Italian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Help; assistance; succor, relief.",
        "A helper; an assistant.",
        "Something which helps; a material source of help.",
        "An historical subsidy granted to the crown by Parliament for an extraordinary purpose, such as a war effort."
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To provide support to; to further the progress of; to help; to assist. · To climb with the use of aids such as pitons.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English aiden, from Old French eider, aider, aidier, from Latin adiuto, frequentative of adiuvō (“assist”, verb).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionaidenenm
Derivation mentioneiderfro
Derivation mentionadiutola

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aiden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aiden"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "fro",
        "3": "eider"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French eider"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "la",
        "3": "adiuto"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin adiuto"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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    ],
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      "aider",
      "aider#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "aidier",
      "aidier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "adiuto",
      "adiuto#Latin"
    ],
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      "frequentative",
      "frequentative"
    ],
    [
      "adiuvō",
      "adiuvo#Latin"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To provide support to; to further the progress of; to help; to assist.",
        "To climb with the use of aids such as pitons."
      ],
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        "transitive"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for aid →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YWlk