*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of aside

From Middle English aside, asyde, a-side, oside, from Middle English on side, from Old English on sīdan (literally “on (the) side (of)”), equivalent to a- + side. Compare beside.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
postp

Excluded from consideration.

noun

An incidental remark to a person next to one made discreetly but not in private, audible only to that person. · A brief comment by a character addressing the audience, unheard by other characters. · A minor related mention, an afterthought.

adv

To or on one side so as to be out of the way.

adj

Not in perfect symmetry; distorted laterally, especially of the human body.

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

From Middle English aside, asyde, a-side, oside, from Middle English on side, from Old English on sīdan (literally “on (the) side (of)”), equivalent to a- + side. Compare beside.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aside"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aside"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "on side"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English on side"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "on sīdan",
        "lit": "on (the) side (of)"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English on sīdan (literally “on (the) side (of)”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "pre",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "a",
        "3": "side"
      },
      "expansion": "a- + side"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "aside",
      "aside#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "asyde",
      "asyde#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "a-side",
      "a-side#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "oside",
      "oside#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "on side",
      "on side#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "on sīdan",
      "on sidan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English"
    ],
    [
      "side",
      "side#English"
    ],
    [
      "beside",
      "beside#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "postp",
      "glosses": [
        "Excluded from consideration."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "181b976c68b50ece191fd94ae46c53f5c637a056434f4ef57c1e7c6ce6511d61",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f098fc98284914aeefcc00cfd8e17e0141411226538d153ab1db67dc3a827eab",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 206415
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An incidental remark to a person next to one made discreetly but not in private, audible only to that person.",
        "A brief comment by a character addressing the audience, unheard by other characters.",
        "A minor related mention, an afterthought."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "50644a824a043cf80fa5c21f71eb435befc1a6274c76603c779ef50d77ffc619",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5ac85218065d5fc8099d1154ed8cc488559559966e14d4933b17e20fe490cf79",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 206417
    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "To or on one side so as to be out of the way."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "c373ed17b98324b16135edc558d58a90b10d7b6ccfa6cd59a79242298fa317a3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7de658cdcebe13999e83b90a33c0a3ac4dd2a3ef4c7041f9fc8ca6194f01f8ef",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 206414
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Not in perfect symmetry; distorted laterally, especially of the human body."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d044c161c6a48c43be31c5119f84fcc428d0163bf414cfa23101b8e0a0865416",
      "rawRecordSha256": "530df9ed4d6ddacf3059e0fae81bc8c220bd1ee84c11c89319ceae3dd685cc5d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 206416
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 aside →

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-YXNpZGU