side

side · noun, adjective, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*seh₁-
2. Proto-Germanic*sīdaz
3. Proto-Germanic*sīdǭ
4. Old Englishsīde
5. Middle Englishside
6. English todayside

From Middle English side, from Old English sīde (“side, flank”), from Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ (“side, flank, edge, shore”), derived from *sīdaz, probably from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (“long, lasting”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Siede (“side”), West Frisian side (“side”), Dutch zijde, zij (“side”), German Low German Sied (“side”), German Seite (“side”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk side (“side”), Swedish sida (“side”). The LGBTQ slang sense was coined by sex therapist and author Joe Kort in 2010 and popularized in 2013. The sense was coined by analogy with top and bottom and based on the metaphor of a box which has a top, bottom, and sides.

side · adjective, adverb, verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sēy-“to send, throw, drop, sow, deposit”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*sīdaz“drooping, hanging, low, excessive, extra”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*sīd
4. Old English · inherited fromsīd“wide, broad, spacious, ample, extensive, vast, far-reaching”
5. Middle English · inherited fromside
6. English todayside

From Middle English side, syde, syd, from Old English sīd (“wide, broad, spacious, ample, extensive, vast, far-reaching”), from Proto-West Germanic *sīd, from Proto-Germanic *sīdaz (“drooping, hanging, low, excessive, extra”), from Proto-Indo-European *sēy- (“to send, throw, drop, sow, deposit”). Cognate with obsolete Dutch zijd (“wide, vast”), Low German sied (“low”), Swedish sid (“long, hanging down”), Icelandic síður (“low hanging, long”).

Side · proper noun³

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromΣίδη
2. Latin · derived fromSide
3. English todaySide

From Latin Side, from Ancient Greek Σίδη (Sídē).

Words from the same roots