Etymology

sidelong

S1I1D2E1L1O1N1G2

Today it means: Directed to the side; sideways. Full definition →

Middle English sidlyng
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromsidlyng
  2. English todaysidelong

1520s, from Middle English sidlyng (early 14th century), from side + -lyng (“(frequentative)”) (modern English -le (“(frequentative)”)). Reanalyzed as side + long.

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishsidlyng all →

sideling

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.