Beside

"To Britaigne tooke they the righte way Aurelius and this magician bisyde."
--Chaucer, The Franklin's Tale

BESIDE is, no surprise, defined mainly as "by the side of something." A related word is besides which has a slightly different meaning.

In Old English it was always 2 words separate: be (by, about) + sidan (side). No great mystery here. The word has kept the same meaning for over 1200 years, and looks to be useful for a few hundred more.

Beside is such a basic, functional word; not really pretty or picturesque. Yet it communicates awareness of our surroundings. The following words over the next few days all tell about the relationship between two things. It may seem elementary, my dear Watson, but it is not. There is once again reality and truth to discover as we spend some time enjoying our language.