aside

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /əˈsaɪd/ See IPA manual

Freq #2154

Meanings

1

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

Please move aside so people can pass.
2

adv
Kept separate for a particular purpose.

She set some money aside for emergencies.
3

noun
A remark made quietly or as an afterthought, not to the main audience.

He whispered an aside to the person next to him.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adv · kept separate for a... apart

More sidebar

Word family

Forms asides

Derived forms asidenessset-aside

Appears in

Phrases (10)

See all

cast aside
to throw something out of the way or discard it

Verb + adverb
set aside
to reserve something for a particular purpose or later use

Verb + adverb
setting aside
reserving something for a future purpose instead of using it immediately

Verb + adverb
brush aside
dismiss something without giving it proper attention or consideration

Verb + adverb
lay aside
to save money for use at a later time

Verb + adverb
push aside
to move something out of the way by pressing against it

Verb + adverb

Etymology

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.

aside Middle English on side Middle English on sīdan Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Theater & Performance

External links

# aside

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adv, noun
**IPA (US):** /əˈsaɪd/
**Frequency rank:** 2154

## Meanings
1. To or toward one side so as to be out of the way.
2. Kept separate for a particular purpose.
3. A remark made quietly or as an afterthought, not to the main audience.

## Examples
- Please move aside so people can pass.
- She set some money aside for emergencies.
- He whispered an aside to the person next to him.

## Synonyms
- sidebar

## Derived Forms
- asideness
- set-aside

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: aside
- Root: on side
- Root: on sīdan

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Aside is 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- plus side. Compare beside. The formation is semantically transparent: the parts remain visible, while the compound or affix fixes the grammatical role and narrows the modern meaning. In use as an adverb and a noun, aside denotes to or toward one side so as to be out of the way, kept separate for a particular purpose, and a remark made quietly or as an afterthought, not to the main audience. The same word family continues in derived forms such as asideness and set-aside.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Theater & Performance

markdown