aside
noun
- dramatic device
adverb
- away from current position
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /əˈsaɪd/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English aside, asyde, a-side, oside, from Middle English on side, from Old English on sīdan (literally “on (the) side (of)”), equivalent to a- + side. Compare beside.
- Not in perfect symmetry; distorted laterally, especially of the human body.
“Her figure was slight; but the cruel accident—a fall in her childhood, which had laid the foundation of her ill health—had made her a little aside, and caused a degree of lameness, which rendered it difficult for her to move without assistance.”
adv
Etymology: From Middle English aside, asyde, a-side, oside, from Middle English on side, from Old English on sīdan (literally “on (the) side (of)”), equivalent to a- + side. Compare beside.
- To or on one side so as to be out of the way.
“Move aside, please, so that these people can come through.”
“But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king.”
- Excluded from consideration.
“joking aside”
“unusual circumstances aside”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English aside, asyde, a-side, oside, from Middle English on side, from Old English on sīdan (literally “on (the) side (of)”), equivalent to a- + side. Compare beside.
- An incidental remark to a person next to one made discreetly but not in private, audible only to that person.
- An incidental remark to a person next to one made discreetly but not in private, audible only to that person. (theater) A brief comment by a character addressing the audience, unheard by other characters.
- A minor related mention, an afterthought.
“This, then, is what we have done up to now in this book. (As I have been doing right along) may I make an aside? (An aside is a part in an old-time play or movie in which an actor steps out of character to say something to the audience of a semi-private or semi-confidential nature about the play.) I am confounded, and somewhat appalled when I read over the scholarly works referred to”
“In addition, an analogy was only classified as significant if it appeared to be part of a serious attempt to generate or evaluate a solution, and as nonsignificant if it was simply mentioned as an aside or commentary. As an example of a nonsignificant analogy, one subject was reminded of another problem he had seen involving the deflection of piano strings of different lengths, but apparently mentioned this as an aside without the intention of applying findings back to the spring problem.”