Aisle
/aɪl/noun
A passageway between rows of seats, shelves, or other objects.
Did you know?Aisle is a spelling reshaped in English from the French word for a wing or side of a building, ultimately from Latin 0dola, meaning a wing or side, which is why the word still carries the idea of a building’s “side-body.”
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
ala
“a wing; the side or flank of a building”
Late Latin
LLatin
axila / ala
“a side wing or aisle-like side section”
Old French
OF
aisle / ele
“a side aisle or lateral part of a church”
Middle English
ME
yle / isle
“a church aisle; later influenced by the spelling of isle”
Modern English
English
aisle
“a passageway beside rows of seats or shelves”