aisle

aisle
\ \ [15] The original English form of this word was ele. It was borrowed from Old French, which in turn took it from Latin āla ‘wing’ (the modern French form of the word, aile, has a diminutive form, aileron ‘movable control surface on an aircraft’s wing’ [20], which has been acquired by English). Besides meaning literally ‘bird’s wing’, āla was used metaphorically for ‘wing of a building’, which was the source of its original meaning in English, the ‘sides of the nave of a church’. The Latin word comes from an unrecorded *acsla, which is one of a complex web of ‘turning’ words that include Latin axis, Greek axon ‘axis’, Latin axilla ‘armpit’ (whence English axillary and axil), and English axle.
\ \ The notion of an aisle as a detached, separate part of a building led to an association with isle and island which eventually affected Middle English ele’s spelling. From the 16th to the 18th century the word was usually spelled ile or isle.
\ \ A further complication entered the picture in the 18th century in the form of French aile, which took the spelling on to today’s settled form, aisle.
\ \ Cf.⇒ AILERON, AXIS

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Aisle — • In architecture, one of the lateral or longitudinal divisions of a church, separated from the nave by rows of piers, pillars, or columns Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Aisle     Aisle …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • aisle — [ aıl ] noun count a passage between rows of seats, for example in a church, theater, or airplane, or between the shelves of a supermarket: an aisle seat Cereals are in aisle three. go/walk down the aisle INFORMAL to get married laughing/rolling… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • aisle — UK US /aɪl/ noun [C] ► COMMERCE the long narrow space between the rows of shelves in a large store, also used to refer to the shelves themselves: »Shopping online means you avoid the crowded supermarket aisles. »the frozen food/home baking, etc.… …   Financial and business terms

  • Aisle — Aisle, n. [OF. ele, F. aile, wing, wing of a building, L. ala, contr. fr. axilla.] (Arch.) (a) A lateral division of a building, separated from the middle part, called the nave, by a row of columns or piers, which support the roof or an upper… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • aisle — ► NOUN 1) a passage between rows of seats. 2) a passage between sets of shelves in a supermarket or other shop. 3) Architecture a lateral division of a church parallel to, and divided by pillars from, a nave, choir, or transept. ● lead someone up …   English terms dictionary

  • aisle — [aıl] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: ele wing , from Latin ala; influenced by English isle and French aile wing ] 1.) a long passage between rows of seats in a church, plane, theatre etc, or between rows of shelves in a shop 2.)… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • aisle — aisle; aisle·way; …   English syllables

  • Aisle 3 — was a former discount clothing retailer in the United States. The chain was famous for only being open three days a week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), while the rest of the week was spent stocking the store with clothes.The chain went out of… …   Wikipedia

  • aisle — (n.) late 14c., ele, lateral division of a church (usually separated by a row of pillars), from O.Fr. ele wing (of a bird or an army), side of a ship (12c., Mod.Fr. aile), from L. ala, related to axilla wing, upper arm, armpit; wing of an army,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • aisle — *passage, passageway, ambulatory, corridor …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • aisle — [n] passageway dividing something alley, artery, avenue, clearing, corridor, course, egress, gangway, hallway, ingress, lane, opening, passage, path, walk, way; concepts 440,513,830 …   New thesaurus

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