Side Once Meant Long or Spacious
A side is a lateral surface or position. The Old English word meant extensive.
A side is a lateral surface, a position in a dispute, or a sports team. Old English *side* was an adjective meaning long, broad or spacious, and the noun came from it by way of the long flank of a body. That adjective survives in *far and wide* and in the *-side* of *hillside*, and in the word *sideburns*, which is an accidental reversal of *burnsides*, named after the American general Ambrose Burnside. Choosing *sides* in a dispute comes from the literal image of standing on one flank.
- A lateral surface. *The side of the box.*
- A team. *The home side.*
- A position. *Taking sides.*
- Sideburns. *Sideburns.*
- Old English — *side*, long. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | side | A side. |
| Plural | sides | Sides. |
| Adjective | sideways | Sideways. |
| Compound | hillside | A hillside. |
| Compound | sideburns | Sideburns. |
- Stand to one side.Position.
- Our side won.Team.
- Sideburns reverses Burnside.Etymology.
Where sideburns come from
- Ambrose Burnside was an American Civil War general
- His dramatic facial hair became famous
- The style was called burnsides
- Speakers reversed it to sideburns, matching the word side
- The reversal is the only well-known case of its kind
Old English *side*, originally an adjective meaning long or broad, of Germanic origin.
Why are they called sideburns?
They were named burnsides after General Ambrose Burnside, and speakers reversed the parts to match the word side.
What did side originally mean?
Long, broad or spacious. The noun came from the long flank of a body.