Landside

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The portion of an airport terminal that is accessible to the general public before passing through security checkpoints
2. A publicly accessible area of an airport terminal where travelers can enjoy various services before passing through security measures
3. The area of an airport terminal that the general public can access prior to any security procedures being performed

Etymology: "Landside" is a plain compound: "land" joined to "side," with no hidden twist. "Land" traces back through Old English "land" and Proto-Germanic "landą" to an ancient root meaning something like the open ground or stretch of earth. "Side" comes from Old English "sīde," meaning the flank or edge of something, which in turn descends from a Proto-Germanic word for the side of the body. Put together, the sense is the land side of a boundary, as opposed to the water or air side. In airports, the word marks the area on the ground-level, public side of the building, the part where passengers and visitors can gather before they reach the security checkpoints and the departure gates. The compound works the same way in that setting: it is the side of the terminal that faces the landward approach, the place where people arrive by road, rail, or taxi, rather than the secured side reserved for flights.