Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “beside” come from?

Beside comes from Middle English beside, from Old English bī sīdan, literally meaning "by the side."

beside (English): Next to; at the side of; Not relevant to;...

Definitions

  1. Next to; at the side of; Not relevant to;...

Ancestry of “beside”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbeside—
2Old Englishbe sīdan—

Words derived from “beside”

  • besides
  • besideness
  • therebeside
Every word from Old English be sīdan →