Forms: 5 eide, 5–7 aide, ayde, 6–7 ayd, 7– aid. [a. OFr. aïde, ayde, earlier aiude, Strasb. oaths aiudha, adiudha (cf. Pr. ajudha, ajuda, Sp. ayuda):—late L. adjūta, sb. f. pa. pple. fem. of adiuvāre (see prec.) analogous to sbs. in -ée, -āta; see -ADE.]
1. Help, assistance, support, succor, relief.
1475. Bk. Noblesse, 4. Be the eide of tho thre noble prynces.
1475. Caxton, Jason, 18 b. If the goddes be in myn ayde.
1559. Myrroure for Mag., Rich. II., vi. 1. Neyther lakt I ayde in any wicked dede.
1607. Shaks., Coriol., I. vii. 3. If I do send, dispatch Those Centuries to our ayd.
1667. Milton, P. L., VI. 119. His puissance, trusting in the Almighty’s aid, I mean to try.
1771. Burke, in Corr. (1844), I. 262. You have not called in the aid of fancy.
1807. Crabbe, Par. Reg., II. 130. Friend of distress! the mourner feels thy aid.
1868. Geo. Eliot, F. Holt, 22. She had never dressed herself without aid.
2. Eng. Law. Help or assistance in defending an action, legally claimed by the defendant from some one who has a joint-interest in the defence. To pray in aid: to claim such assistance. Aid-prayer, the appeal therefor.
1625. Sir H. Finch, Law (1636), 367. Ayd Prayer is for Tenant for life, to request him that hath the Inheritance, to helpe him plead … and this Ayd Prayer is for the feeblenesse of his estate.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., A city or corporation, holding a fee-farm of the king, may pray in Aid of him, if anything be demanded of them relating thereto.
1809. Tomlins, Law Dict., s.v., There is a prayer in aid of patrons, by parsons, vicars, etc. … And also servants having done anything lawfully in right of their masters, shall have aid of them.
3. concr. Anything by which assistance is given in performing an operation; anything helpful, a means or material source of help. esp. in pl. aids and appliances. spec. in Horsemanship (see quot. 1751).
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., I. iii. 24. Surmise Of Aydes incertaine should not be admitted.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 465. Whom, scarce my Sheep, and scarce my painful Plough, The needful Aids of Human Life allow.
1711. F. Fuller, Med. Gymn., 58. Exercise may deserve to be taken as a common Aid to Physick.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., Aids, in the manage, are helps, or assistances, by which the horseman contributes towards the motion or action required of the horse; by a discreet use of the bridle, caveson, spur, etc. … Such a horse knows his Aids, answers his Aids, etc.
1824. Coleridge (title), Aids to Reflection.
1858. Gladstone, Homer, I. 23. He has furnished us with some aids towards the consideration of this question.
4. Eng. Hist. A pecuniary grant in aid; a grant of a subsidy or tax to the king for an extraordinary purpose. later, An exchequer loan.
c. 1460. Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714), 52. For the expensis wherof, he schal not so sodenly have Ayde of his People.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froissart, I. ccclxxxvii. 663. The kyng and his counsayle wolde generally reyse vp throughe all Fraunce ayedes, fowages, tayles and subsydes.
1669. Marvell, Corr., 130, Wks. 1875, II. 294. The House did … vote an aid to his Majesty not exceeding the summe of 400,000l.
1702. Lond. Gaz., mmmdcccix/8. Dropt … a Talley on the Fourth 4s. Aid of 1000l. No. 2058.
1862. Ld. Brougham, Brit. Const., xii. 166. For the granting of an aid or supply to the crown.
5. Feudal System. A pecuniary contribution by a feudal vassal to his lord; limited by Magna Carta to three special occasions.
1590. Swinburn, Testaments, 72. The lordes lost their … aids, ‘Pur faire fitz chiualer & pur file marier.’
1649. Selden, Laws of Eng., I. lxii. (1739), 125. The aids were of three kinds, one to make the Lord’s eldest Son Knight, the other to marry his eldest Daughter; the third to help him to pay a relief to his Lord Paramount.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v., The bishops also received aids, auxilia episcopi.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., II. 63. Aids were originally mere benevolences granted by the tenant to his lord, in times of difficulty and distress.
1868. Chambers, Encycl., I. 92. These Aids were abolished by 12 Car. II. c. 24.
6. French Hist. (pl.) Customs-dues. Court of Aids, the Court that supervised the customs-dues.
1714. Fr. Bk. Rates, 29. Mr. John Rouvelin, Farmer-General of our Aids.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., Aids, in French laws, denote a duty paid on all goods sold and transported either out of, or into the kingdom.
1792. A. Young, Trav. France, 20. The house of the first president of the court of aids.
7. A person who renders help or assistance; a helper, an assistant; pl. auxiliaries. (Cf. Fr. aide, L. auxilium, and Eng. help, all applied to persons.)
1569. Epitaph on Bonner, in Harl. Misc., I. 615. His ayds took always pain To keep their god, their hope, their trust.
1587. Holinshed, Chron., I. 37/2. He had no legionarie souldiers, but certeine bands of aids.
1611. Bible, Tobit viii. 6. It is not good that man should bee alone, let vs make vnto him an aide like to himselfe [cf. Wyclif Gen. ii. 18 An help lijk to him self].
1738. Wesley, Ps. cxxi. 1. The Lord that built the Earth and Skies Is my perpetual Aid.
1838. Arnold, Rome, I. 397. He was at the head of a mighty army; for the Latins and the Hernicans had brought their aids.
8. Comb. and attrib., chiefly in sense 7, as aid-band, -cohort, -force, -soldier; or in sense 5, as aid-money: (all obs.). Also aid-major obs. an adjutant; aid-prayer in Law: see 2.
1600. Holland, Livy, XXX. xxxiii. 763 c. Then he embattailed the aid souldiers [auxilia] of the Ligurians.
1603. Greenwey, Tacitus Ann., XII. viii. (1622), 166. They intercepted two ayde-bandes.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., II. 65. A small powre of Aid-forces.
1635. Bacon, Use of Com. Law, 32. Ayde money to make the Kings eldest son a knight, or to marry his eldest daughter.
1670. Cotton, Espernon, III. XII. 632. The Office of Aide Major to the Regiment of Guards.
1691. Lond. Gaz., mmdcc/2. L’Assurance Aid-Major killed.
