Side

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /saɪd/

Definitions

1. A surface or edge of an object that faces a particular direction, or one of two or more opposing positions or groups
2. A lateral aspect of an object or entity that is distinct from its front or back, or one among various perspectives or factions within a debate
3. The surface of an item that is perpendicular to its main front or back, or an affiliation or stance taken in contrast to another position

Etymology: Before "side" meant a flank or edge, the Old English "sīde" was used in the sense of wide, broad or spacious, and that older adjective is a separate line of descent that happens to share the spelling. The noun descends from a Proto-Germanic word for flank, edge or shore, and its relatives are found across the Germanic languages: German "Seite", Dutch "zijde" and "zij", Swedish "sida", and the West Frisian "side". All of them keep the same basic meaning of a lateral edge. The noun's ancestry runs back to a root meaning "long, lasting", which is a surprisingly abstract starting point for something as physical as a flank. Medieval English used the word for the body's flank and for the edges of objects, and over time it extended to the lateral surface of anything, which is how it came to mean a surface or position.

Synonyms: flank, aspect, surface

Antonyms: center, middle