Aisle

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /aɪ̯l/

Definitions

1. A corridor separating seats in theaters or planes serves as a pathway
2. A space within a market or store enables shoppers to walk between displays
3. A passageway that allows for movement between rows of seats or shelves is designed for access and convenience

Etymology: The word that now names the passage between rows of seats in a church or theatre was once spelled "ele" and meant "wing." Middle English borrowed it from Anglo-Norman, where it had come from the Latin "āla," also meaning wing. The sense of a side passage developed because the aisles of a church were the wings flanking the central nave, so the word for a bird's wing came to describe the lateral spaces of a building. Its spelling and sound then drifted away from its French source. English speakers began to associate the word with "isle," and that influence changed the pronunciation to rhyme with it, a form that survives as the obsolete spelling "isle." Later the spelling was reshaped again after modern French "aile," producing the spelling we use today. Further back, the Latin "āla" is linked to "axis," which is the same root that gave English "axle" and the Greek "áxōn." The connection is an old one: a wing, an axle, and an axis all share a root meaning something pivoting or extended.

Synonyms: corridor, passage, walkway