Where does “besides” come from?
Besides derives from the English adverbial use of beside with the Old English possessive suffix -'s, itself from Middle English -s, Old French -esse, and Proto-Indo-European -es, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European -iskos and -ēs.
besides (English): In addition, in addition to; Other than; except...
Definitions
- In addition, in addition to; Other than; except...
Ancestry of “besides”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -s | Used to form regular plurals of nouns; Used to... |
| 2 | Middle English | -es | Alternative form of -yssh; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -as | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |