aisle
nounUK, US /aɪ̯l/
Etymology From Middle English ele, from Anglo-Norman ele (“wing”) (Modern French aile), from Latin āla (whence English ala). Further from Latin axis (whence English axis, atelier). Via Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs- cognate with English axle, Ancient Greek ἄξων (áxōn) (whence English axo-, axon). The modern pronunciation has been influenced by English isle, whence the obsolete form isle; the modern spelling reflects further modification of this form after modern French aile.
7 senses
- 1A wing of a building, notably in a church separated from…
- 2A clear path/passage through rows of seating.
- 3A clear corridor in a supermarket with shelves on both…
- 4Any path through an otherwise obstructed space.
- 5Seat in public transport, such as a plane, train or bus…
- 6An idiomatic divide between the Republican Party and the…
- 7The path of a wedding procession in a church or other…
A wing of a building, notably in a church separated from the nave proper by piers.
- Hester Earle and Violet Wayne were moving about the aisle with bundles of wheat-ears and streamers of ivy, for the harvest thanksgiving was shortly to be celebrated, while the vicar stood waiting for their directions on the chancel steps with a great handful of crimson gladioli.1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
- In one of the aisles there was an elaborately carved confessional box and I recognised the village priest in his heavy mountain boots and black cassock as he entered it and drew the dark velvet curtains behind him.1956, Delano Ames, chapter 13, in Crime out of Mind:
A clear path/passage through rows of seating.
- But the design of the '730s' wasn't just about the seating formation. The Metro-style walkthrough interior was chosen because it is much more spacious than the '323s', where the interconnecting doors between carriages, narrow central aisle, and cramped areas by the passenger doors had been deemed particularly constraining.2025 April 16, Pip Dunn, “The future is orange....”, in RAIL, number 1033, page 53:
A clear corridor in a supermarket with shelves on both sides containing goods for sale.
Any path through an otherwise obstructed space.
- It is realised that the old Pullman standard sleeper, with its convertible "sections", each containing upper and lower berths, and with no greater privacy at night than the curtains drawn along both sides of a middle aisle, has had its day.1944 November and December, “"Duplex Roomette" Sleeping Cars”, in Railway Magazine, page 324:
Transport Seat in public transport, such as a plane, train or bus, that's beside the aisle.
- Do you want to seat window or aisle?
Government, Politics US An idiomatic divide between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, who are said to be on two sides of the aisle.
The path of a wedding procession in a church or other venue; (by extension, metonymic) marriage.
- You ask her if she loves you, she answers, "I do" / Your heart starts glowing inside / And then you will know she is just for you / While each step, draws you closer to the aisle1957, The Five Satins, “To the Aisle”:
- Synonyms
- isle, aisle seat
- Antonyms
- window, window seat
- Derived terms
- aisled, aisleless, aisle seat, aisle sitter, aisleway, cleanup on aisle, cross aisle, cross the aisle, middle-aisle it, reach across the aisle, roll in the aisle, roll in the aisles, up the aisle, walk down the aisle