Etymograph

English

aside

Aside comes from Middle English aside, and goes back to Old English on sīdan.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150on sīdan1literally ‘on (the) side (of)’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500on side1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aside1
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602aside1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English aside
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king.”.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150on sīdanWiktionary, English asideliterally ‘on (the) side (of)’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500on sideWiktionary, English aside
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500asideWiktionary, English aside
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602asideWiktionary, English aside. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king.”

Every English word from Old English on sīdan

Today it means

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

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “aside”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old English on sīdan / aside

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