• IPA: /əˈsaɪd/

aside (not comparable)

1. To or on one side so as to be out of the way.

   Move aside, please, so that these people can come through.

   • c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act V, scene i]:

     But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, 2 Kings 4:4 ↗:

     {...}} and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

   • 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part I, London: Collins, →ISBN:

     An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.

• French: à côté
• German: beiseite, zur Seite
• Italian: a parte
• Portuguese: à parte
• Russian: в сто́рону
• Spanish: aparte, a un lado

aside (plural asides)

1. An incidental remark made quietly so as to be heard by the person to whom it is said and not by any others in the vicinity.
2. (theatre) A brief comment by a character addressing the audience, unheard by other characters.
3. A minor related mention, an afterthought.
   • 2004 Ophiel, The Art and Practice of Caballa Magic ↗, page 130

     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

   • 2008 John Clement, Creative Model Construction in Scientists and Students: The Role of Imagery, Analogy, and Mental Simulation ↗, page 36

     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.

   • 2010 Alexander Barrie, Alexander's Guide to Harmonising Gender Discordance: The Forgotten but Complementary Division Between the Masculine & the Feminine Phenomenon in Divergent Realms of Life ↗, page 17

     As an aside, and for consideration, the great religions of the world seem to be jealously guarded, run and administered by the men-folk.

• sidebar
• side note

• French: aparté, (as an aside) en passant
• Portuguese: aparte, comentário

• Spanish: aparte