Meanings
-
1
noun
a small light fitted at the side of a vehicle or the red or green navigation light on a vessel
The carriage's sidelights appeared around the bend before the horses came into view.
-
2
noun
a window, lens, or shield fitted at the side of something, historically including a sidepiece on spectacles
The antique blue spectacles had dark sidelights that concealed the wearer's face from the side.
-
3
noun
an incidental fact that helps illuminate a subject from a different angle
The diary offers an intriguing sidelight on daily life during the expedition.
Thesaurus
Etymology
A compound of side + light, recorded from the early seventeenth century. Concrete uses refer to light, a lamp, or an opening at the side; the figurative sense treats an incidental fact as light cast on a subject from another direction.