aisle

noun

ˈī(-ə)l How to pronounce aisle (audio)
1
a(1)
: a passage (as in a theater or railroad passenger car) separating sections of seats
(2)
: such a passage regarded as separating opposing parties in a legislature
supported by members on both sides of the aisle
b
: a passage (as in a store or warehouse) for inside traffic
2
: the side of a church nave separated by piers from the nave proper
Phrases
walk down the aisle or less commonly go down the aisle
: to get married
Prenuptial agreements have long been used by couples who want to set down the terms of any future divorce before they walk down the aisle.—Desa Philadelpha

Examples of aisle in a Sentence

The bride walked down the aisle to the altar. By the end of the concert, the people in the theater were dancing in the aisles.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The bipartisan support for HB 2481 and subsequent legislative proposals like the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act demonstrate the economic promise lawmakers on both sides of the aisle see in blockchain technology. —Tonya Evans, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 But he's also demonstrated a willingness to work across the aisle with populist senators of both parties on key economic issues. —Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024 But the committee's top Democrat has advocated for the report to be released, while senators on both sides of the aisle have pushed for it to be made available to the Senate Judiciary Committee as the chamber looks to exercise its advice and consent role over Trump's Cabinet selections. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2024 The Florida Republican’s nomination had drawn plenty of criticism from across the aisle, with both GOP and Democratic members of Congress questioning Gaetz’s candidacy. —William Gavin, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for aisle 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ele, eill, ile, ilde "lateral division of a church on either side of the nave, usually divided from the nave by pillars," borrowed from Anglo-French ele, esle, aile, ile "wing, wing of a building, lateral division of a nave" (continental Old French ele "wing, wing of a building"), going back to Latin āla "wing" — more at ala

Note: The Middle English forms ile, ilde show assimilation to ile, ilde "island" (see isle entry 1)—the rows on either side of the nave perhaps being thought of as isolated from the rest of the church—and effectively supplant ele, eill, etc. in the sixteenth century. The d in ilde is a secondary extrusion (compare mold entry 3). In early Modern English ile competes orthographically with a variety of other spellings, as ayle/aile, which appears to have regressed to the sense "wing" and adopted the Middle French spelling aile, an etymologizing variant of earlier ele; and isle, which copies the spelling of isle entry 1. The now standard spelling aisle looks like a merger of aile and isle. Samuel Johnson enters aisle in his dictionary (1755) with some reluctance: "Thus the word is written by [Joseph] Addison, but perhaps improperly; since it seems deducible only from either aile, a wing, or allée, a path; and is therefore to be written aile." As Johnson was likely aware, aisle had developed a broadened sense "passage between pews in the middle of a church" that copies a now out-of-use sense of alley entry 1. The still broader extensions "passage between seats in a train, bus or airplane" and "space between rows of items in a department store or supermarket" first appeared in American English.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of aisle was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing aisle

Dictionary Entries Near aisle

Āishah

aisle

aisled

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Aisle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aisle. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

aisle

noun
ˈī(ə)l How to pronounce aisle (audio)
1
: a passage between sections of seats (as in a church or theater)
2
: a passage between shelves (as in a store)

More from Merriam-Webster on aisle

Nglish: Translation of aisle for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of aisle for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about aisle

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