A word meaning 'in addition to' or 'furthermore,' used to introduce an extra point or reason in an argument.
From 'by' (Old English 'bi') and 'sides' (plural of side), originally meaning 'at the side of' something, then shifted to mean 'alongside' in an argument or idea.
The word 'besides' started as a physical description—something at your side—but English speakers borrowed that spatial word to describe adding ideas next to each other, showing how we think about arguments as physical things.
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