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beside
4 dictionary results for: Beside
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
be·side       [bi-sahyd] Pronunciation Key
–preposition
1.by or at the side of; near: Sit down beside me.
2.compared with: Beside him other writers seem amateurish.
3.apart from; not connected with: beside the point; beside the question.
4.besides (defs. 4, 5).
–adverb
5.along the side of something: The family rode in the carriage, and the dog ran along beside.
6.besides (def. 2).
—Idiom
7.beside oneself, almost out of one's senses from a strong emotion, as from joy, delight, anger, fear, or grief: He was beside himself with rage when the train left without him.
[Origin: bef. 1000; ME; earlier bi-siden, OE bī sīdan, be sīdan; see be-, side]

—Usage note For the prepositional meanings “over and above, in addition to” and “except” besides is preferred, especially in edited writing: Besides these honors he received a sum of money. We heard no other sound besides the breaking surf. However, beside sometimes occurs with these meanings as well.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
be·side       (bĭ-sīd')  Pronunciation Key 
prep.  
  1. At the side of; next to.
    1. In comparison with: a proposal that seems quite reasonable beside the others.
    2. On an equal footing with: has earned a place beside the best performers in the business.
  3. In addition to: "Many creatures beside man live in communities" (Stuart Chase). See Usage Note at besides.
  4. Except for. See Usage Note at besides.
  5. Not relevant to: a remark that was beside the point.

adv.   Archaic
  1. In addition.
  2. Nearby.


[Middle English biside, from Old English be sīdan : be, by; see by1 + sīde, side.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
beside 
O.E. be sidan "by the side of" (only as two words), from sidan dative of side (q.v.). By 1200, formed as one word and used as both adv. and prep. Also, after 1200, besides, with adverbial gen. -s (usually in the senses of "in addition" and "otherwise"). The alternate M.E. meaning "outside" led to the sense preserved in beside oneself "out of one's wits" (1490).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Beside

Be*side"\, prep. [OE. biside, bisiden, bisides, prep. and adv., beside, besides; pref. be- by + side. Cf. Besides, and see Side, n.]

1. At the side of; on one side of. "Beside him hung his bow." --Milton.

2. Aside from; out of the regular course or order of; in a state of deviation from; out of.

[You] have done enough To put him quite beside his patience. --Shak.

3. Over and above; distinct from; in addition to.

Note: [In this use besides is now commoner.]

Wise and learned men beside those whose names are in the Christian records. --Addison.

To be beside one's self, to be out of one's wits or senses.

Paul, thou art beside thyself. --Acts xxvi. 24.

Syn: Beside, Besides.

Usage: These words, whether used as prepositions or adverbs, have been considered strictly synonymous, from an early period of our literature, and have been freely interchanged by our best writers. There is, however, a tendency, in present usage, to make the following distinction between them: 1. That beside be used only and always as a preposition, with the original meaning "by the side of; " as, to sit beside a fountain; or with the closely allied meaning "aside from", "apart from", or "out of"; as, this is beside our present purpose; to be beside one's self with joy. The adverbial sense to be wholly transferred to the cognate word. 2. That besides, as a preposition, take the remaining sense "in addition to", as, besides all this; besides the considerations here offered. "There was a famine in the land besides the first famine." --Gen. xxvi. 1. And that it also take the adverbial sense of "moreover", "beyond", etc., which had been divided between the words; as, besides, there are other considerations which belong to this case. The following passages may serve to illustrate this use of the words:

Lovely Thais sits beside thee. --Dryden.

Only be patient till we have appeased The multitude, beside themselves with fear. --Shak.

It is beside my present business to enlarge on this speculation. --Locke.

Besides this, there are persons in certain situations who are expected to be charitable. --Bp. Porteus.

And, besides, the Moor May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril. --Shak.

That man that does not know those things which are of necessity for him to know is but an ignorant man, whatever he may know besides. --Tillotson.

Note: See Moreover.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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