Where does “sideways” come from?
Sideways comes from Middle English side-way, composed of side and way, literally denoting movement or position to the side.
sideways (English): plural of sideway; Moving or directed toward one...
Definitions
- plural of sideway; Moving or directed toward one...
Ancestry of “sideways”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Side | — |
| 2 | Middle English | side | custom |
| 3 | Old English | sīde | side, flank |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *sīdā | — |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | sida | — |
| 6 | Late Latin | seta | Alternative form of saeta; hair, bristle; bristle |
| 7 | Latin | saeta | a bristle, hair on an animal; silk |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | saitā | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₂ito- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sh₂ey- | to bind, fetter |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂- | to satiate, satisfy |