Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Beside — Be*side , prep. [OE. biside, bisiden, bisides, prep. and adv., beside, besides; pref. be by + side. Cf. Besides, and see {Side}, n.] 1. At the side of; on one side of. Beside him hung his bow. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. Aside from; out of the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
beside — beside, besides Beside is only used as a preposition meaning ‘next to’ • (He heard Lee come up beside him A. Hassall, 1989) whereas besides is both an adverb meaning ‘also, moreover’ • (Besides, it was not the first disappointment S. Studd, 1981) … Modern English usage
beside — beside, besides are occasionally interchangeable. More often beside is employed as a preposition in a local sense, meaning by the side of {he stood beside her} {the house beside the river} On the other hand, besides has almost entirely replaced… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
beside — [bē sīd′, bisīd′] prep. [ME < OE bi sidan (dat. of side): see BY & SIDE] 1. by or at the side of; alongside; near 2. in comparison with [beside yours my share seems small] 3. BESIDES 4. not pertinent to … English World dictionary
beside — ► PREPOSITION 1) at the side of; next to. 2) compared with. 3) in addition to; apart from. ● beside oneself Cf. ↑beside oneself … English terms dictionary
beside — O.E. be sidan by the side of (only as two words), from BE (Cf. be ) + sidan dative of SIDE (Cf. side) (n.). By 1200, formed as one word and used as both adverb and preposition. The alternative M.E. meaning outside led to the sense preserved in… … Etymology dictionary
beside — (yourself) extremely upset or excited. My mother was beside herself with curiosity … New idioms dictionary
beside — index adjacent, contiguous Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
beside — [adv/prep] next to abreast of, adjacent to, adjoining, alongside, aside, a step from, at one’s elbow, at the edge of, at the side of, bordering on, by, cheek by jowl*, close at hand, close to, close upon, connected with, contiguous to, fornent,… … New thesaurus
beside — be|side W2S3 [bıˈsaıd] prep [: Old English; Origin: be sidan at or to the side ] 1.) next to or very close to the side of someone or something ▪ Wendy came up and sat beside me. ▪ the table beside the bed ▪ I was standing right beside her at the… … Dictionary of contemporary English
beside — be|side [ bı saıd ] preposition *** 1. ) at the side of someone or something and close to them: Who s that standing beside Jeff? I knelt down beside the bed. We found a picnic area down beside the river. 2. ) used for comparing two people or… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
