The noun “side” belongs to the category of words that foreigners do not like very much. The fact is that it is used in the Russian language in eight meanings. Understanding what exactly it means in this particular case is sometimes very difficult. Let's find out all these ways of interpreting this term.
Etymology and original meaning
The considered feminine noun came into the Russian language from the Pre-Slavic. The word "storna" existed in it, which later, except for Russian, was borrowed by almost all Slavic languages and is preserved in most of them to this day.
In Ukrainian it is the “side”, in Bulgarian it is the “country”, in Polish it is “strona”, in Czech, Slovenian and Slovak it is “strana”, etc.
From this we can conclude that the original meaning of the word “side” was “locality”, “edge” or even “country”. By the way, the last noun was just formed from the "side" and gradually replaced it from the active vocabulary.
Despite this, in this sense the term in question continues to be used to this day, but more in colloquial speech.
For example, everyone is familiar with the expression “home side”, which is used in the sense of “homeland / fatherland” or “native land / country”. Unfortunately, today it is gradually being supplanted in speech by more modern counterparts, such as, for example, “homeland”.
The sphere of use of the expression “home side” is increasingly becoming artistic works in which the speech of the heroes is styled in antiquity.
Side is ... The second meaning of the word
Also, a given noun is called a specific space located in a certain direction or which is this direction itself.
For example: "The eldest son went in one direction, and the youngest - in the opposite direction."
It is worth noting that some linguists believe that this was the first meaning of the term being studied. They argue that at first the side - it was some kind of unlimited territory, and only with time (with the active settlement of Slavic lands and the creation of maps of the area) so began to be called certain settlements and entire countries.
Third meaning
Pretty close to the previous interpretation of the word "side" and the third. According to him, this is the name of the place located on the right / left side of the middle. Also, the right / left direction from the subject or person is also called the party.
For example: "In most countries of the world, automobile transport moves on the right side of the street and only in the UK, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Africa and India - on the left."
Party as the name of the interaction participant
The above methods of interpreting this word consider it as a geographical or spatial concept. However, it can also use in speech as the name of one of the participants in communication, conflict or other interaction.
For example, people who conclude a contract (trade, rent, provision of services) or who are suing each other on some issue are referred to as parties.
For example: “According to criminal law, the injured party is the individual who suffered moral / physical or material harm.”
The same applies to parties to a military conflict.
For example: "After several years of war, not one of the warring parties was able to win."
The fifth way of interpreting the word "side"
Modern progress has come to the point where even laser discs are already considered obsolete devices for data transfer. What to say about cassettes or records, which today are simply perceived as an element of retroculture. However, both of these information carriers are associated with the fifth meaning of the word “side” - this is one of the surfaces of some thing or the side part of something.
The aforementioned cassettes and records had two of them, on each of which the necessary information was recorded. In the fifties of the last century, when music records were still new, their sides were called “A” and “B”. A similar classification was inherited by the cassettes.
The meaning of the division was that on the side of A, as a rule, information more attractive to customers was recorded, often popular songs. And on the B side - less popular audio materials, which had yet to be "untwisted".
Such a popular phraseological unit as “the reverse side of the coin” is associated with this meaning of the term being studied. Its meaning is that any thing, act or incident always has an unsightly side, which is often taken to hide.
For example, there is a certain company that produces light bulbs. Compared to competitors, their products are cheaper and affordable for the average consumer. In this regard, the company is becoming one of the leaders in its industry. However, this success has a flip side.
To make a lower price, the manufacturer needs to save on something. For example, to buy cheaper, and therefore lower quality raw materials, which will affect the quality of the final product and such bulbs will fail more often than competitors.
There is another way to reduce production costs - pay less to the workers of the enterprise or force them to work beyond the statutory time for the same money. Both options are the same unsightly flip side of the coin.
By the way, the origin of this phraseology is very interesting. As you know, with coins and medals, only the outside was made beautiful, and the reverse, as a rule, was very unsightly. Knowing this, the ancestors often compared the hidden part of the situation with a coin or a medal, but gradually this expression was fixed in the speech itself. Moreover, today it is customary to decorate most coins and medals completely.
Side in geometry
Among other things, the term under study is used in geometry. This is the name of the line segment with the help of which the adjacent vertices of any polygon are connected, and in addition, its length.
There are many of its species. For example, the base side of the top or bottom of the polygon, the side of the rectangle, the side of the corner, etc.
In this discipline, the concept under study is quite important, as is the straight line, angle, segment, radius, diameter, bisector, etc.
As an example of the practical use of this word in this sense, one can consider the following problem: “The base side of a regular triangular prism is 4 cm, the side edge is 3 cm. Find the cross-sectional area passing through the side of the upper base and the opposite top of the lower base”.
Portable values
The considered noun is actively used not only in the literal, but also in the figurative sense.
So called the element of something or its component.
To better understand what is meant, it is worth bringing such sentences with the word side:
- "Having calmed down, Boris decided to soberly assess the current situation and try to find at least some positive aspects in it."
- “Despite all his achievements in science, such a seemingly simple side of life as relations with the fair sex remained a mystery to him.”
The final, eighth way of interpreting the studied noun is this. A party is a certain line of kinship. For example: "On the front of World War II, his great-grandfather died on his father’s side."