adv. and prep. Forms: 3–4 bisides, 4 bi-, bysidis, bysydes, 5–6 besydes, -is, 5– besides. [f. BESIDE + s of the advb. genitive, here probably a northern substitute for the southern -en of bisiden. This has been used in all the senses of BESIDE, but is now used, in prose, only in senses 2, 3, for which it is the proper word.]
A. adv.
† 1. By the side; close by, near; = BESIDE A 1.
c. 1205. Lay., 5181. Brennes [wende] bisides mid his folke of Burguine.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 76. Smal sendal bisides, a selure hir ouer.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., 114. Heer besydes is a foreste.
c. 1450. Lonelich, Grail, xliv. 388. Iosephs in that Castel not ne was, but at anothir besides in that plas.
2. In addition, over and above, as well.
1564. Haward, Eutropius, VI. 52. He deprived him of a portion of his kingdom, and assessed hym to pay a great summe of mony besides.
1611. Bible, Gen. xix. 12. And the men said vnto Lot, Hast thou here any besides?
1821. Keats, Isabel, liv. It drew Nurture besides, and life, from human fears.
1863. Mary Howitt, trans. F. Bremer’s Greece, II. xvi. 149. There are, besides, many marble slabs with long Greek inscriptions.
b. Introducing a further consideration: As an additional or further matter, moreover, further.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., II. i. 15. Besides, the lottrie of my destenie Bars me the right of voluntarie choosing.
1682. Norris, Hierocles, 8. Besides, God is not at all Honour’d by the most costly oblations.
1774. Burke, Amer. Tax., Wks. II. 384. Besides, they were indemnified for it.
1858. Bright, Reform, Sp. (1876), 282. There is, besides, this great significant fact.
Mod. It is rather too late to go out; besides, I am tired.
3. Other than that mentioned, otherwise, else.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., III. i. 185. Which … leaves behinde a stayne Upon the beautie of all parts besides.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., I. iii. 15 (J.). Even Outlaws and Villains, who break with all the World besides, must keep Faith and Rules of Equity amongst themselves, or else they cannot hold together.
a. 1694. Tillotson, Serm., I. i. (R.). An ignorant man, whatever he may know besides.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., I. 4. Knowledge, in which the gentlemen of England have been more remarkably deficient than those of all Europe besides.
† 4. = BESIDE A 6. Obs. (Now ASIDE.)
1611. Beaum. & Fl., Maid’s Trag., V. (1679), 19. The blows thou mak’st at me are quite besides.
1650. Bulwer, Anthropomet., xi. (1653), 184. They never faile, or cast it besides.
1660. Stanley, Hist. Philos. (1701), 152/2. He was so thoughtful, that going to put Incense into a Censer, he put it besides.
B. prep.
† 1. = BESIDE B 1. Obs.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 3. Ða com on angel of heuene to hem, and stod bisides hem.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 16878. In a ȝard bisides þe tune.
1382. Wyclif, Matt. xiii. 1. Jhesus … sat bisides the sæ.
1480. Caxton, Trevisa’s Descr. Eng., 6. At Stonhenge besides Salesbury.
1542. Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 316 b. I would … make you roome here besides me, but that I sitte in so narrowe a roome myself.
1605. Stow, Ann., 372. King Edward kept his Christmasse at Kenington besides Lambeth.
1677. Moxon, Mech. Exerc. (1703), 208. Hold … your Right Hand close besides your Left Hand.
2. Over and above, in addition to, as well as. (This and the next are the ordinary current senses.)
1535. Joye, Apol. Tindale, 24. Besydis thys condempnacion of me by hearsaye.
1552. Huloet, Besydes that, præterea.
1557. N. T. (Geneva), Luke xvi. 26. Besydes all this, betwene you and us there is a great gulfe set. [So 1611.]
c. 1680. Beveridge, Serm. (1729), I. 48. Besides that … they have some part of his word solemnly read.
1783. Ld. Hailes, Anc. Chr. Ch., ii. 50. St. Paul … became acquainted with many Christians besides his converts.
1875. Bryce, Holy Rom. Emp., vii. (ed. 5), 112. The Emperor, besides the sword … receives a ring as the symbol of his faith.
b. with obj. clause.
1579. E. K., in Spenser’s Sheph. Cal., March, Gloss., Besides that the … affection … tormenteth the mynde.
1586. Cogan, Haven Health (1636), 97. Besides that this water cooleth all the inward parts, it doth greatly helpe the stone.
1860. Mill, Repr. Govt. (1865), 59/2. The representatives of the majority, besides that they would themselves be improved in quality … would no longer have the whole field to themselves.
3. Other than, else than: in negative and interrogative (formerly sometimes in affirmative) sentences, capable of being rendered by ‘except, excluding.’
c. 1375. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 393. No man may putt an-oþer ground bysidis þat þat is putt [So 1382 N. T. 1 Cor. iii. 11; 1388 outtakun; Tind., Coverd., Genev., 1611, then; Rhem. beside.]
c. 1534. trans. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist., I. 22. England is well stored with all kinde of beeastes, besides asses, mules, cammels, and elephants.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., II. xxii. 116. Not the act of the Body, nor of any other Member thereof besides himselfe.
a. 1716. South, 12 Serm. (1717), IV. 37. The Jews … for ever unsainting all the world besides themselves.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 110, ¶ 1. No living Creature ever walks in it besides the Chaplain.
1758. Jortin, Erasm., I. 266. In the opinion of every one besides himself.
Mod. Have you nothing to tell us besides what we have already heard?
† 4. = BESIDE B 4. a. Past, by. Obs.
1634. Preston, New Covt., 62. Careful that none of this water run besides the mill.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, V. ii. (1647), 232. King Philip missed of his expectation, and the morsel fell besides his mouth.
1660. Stanley, Hist. Philos. (1701), 468/2. [He] proposed sophisms to the disputants, slipping besides the sense.
1680. Observ. on ‘Curse Ye Meroz,’ 5. No sooner did they perceive the waters begin to run besides their Mill … but they turned Cat in Pan, and cursed as fast the contrary way.
† b. Opposition: Out of, away from, off. Obs.
1537. Tindale, Exp. 1 John, Wks. II. 183. Thou mayest well, besides Christ, know him [God] as a tyrant.
1607. Topsell, Serpents, 769. Ælianus was a little besides the way, when he set down macrous for microus.
1641. Vind. Smectymnuus, § 7. 90. He tels us we are besides the Cushion.
† c. Of removal: Out of, away from, off. To put besides: to put out of, do out of, deprive of.
1551. Robinson, trans. More’s Utop., 41. The husbandmen … by coueyne and fraude … be put besydes it.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., I. 173/1. The Englishmen … desirous … to shake off the yoke of Danish thraldome besides their necks and shoulders.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. xiv. § 5 (1873), 159. Doth not only put a man besides his answer.
1654. Ussher, Ann., v. 88. That no God was able to put him besides his Kingdom.
1702. Eng. Theophrast., 47. An extravagant love … puts the Philosopher besides his Latin.
6. fig. (from 4.) = BESIDE B 5.
† a. Out of any mental state; hence Besides oneself: see BESIDE B 5 a. Obs.
1526. Tindale, Acts xxvi. 24. Paul, thou arte besides thy selfe.
1535. Joye, Apol. Tindale, 36. I am suer Tindale is not so farre besydis his comon sencis.
1611. Bible, 2 Cor. v. 13. Whether wee bee besides our selues … or whether we bee sober.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., II. xxvii. (1695), 186. Our way of speaking in English, when we say such an one is not himself, or is besides himself … as if … the self same Person was no longer in that Man.
† b. = BESIDE B 5 b. Obs.
1581. R. Goade, in Confer., II. (1584), I iiij b. You fall to discoursing cleane besides the purpose.
1651. Lilly & Ashmole, Autobiogr. (1774), 172. Its besides my task to write the life of the late King.
1699. Bentley, Phal., 219. Though it be quite besides the subject.
† c. Beyond; = BESIDE B 5 c. Obs.
1564. Brief Exam., **b. Nothyng muste be brought into the Churche, besides or contrary to Scripture.
1577. Vautroullier, Luther’s Ep. Gal., 8. This thou doest besides thine office; keepe thy selfe within thy bounds. Ibid., 36. If it teach any thing besides or against Gods word.
1661. Bramhall, Just. Vind., vii. 196. The Pope can do nothing in France … either against the Canons or besides the Canons.
1668. Culpepper & Cole, Barthol. Anat., IV. i. 159. Tis besides nature.
1692. Locke, Toleration, iii. iv. Wks. 1727, II. 355. A model so wholly new, and besides all experience.
