aid

See also AID, and AIDS

English

Pronunciation

• (RP)
  • IPA: /eɪd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪd
• Homophones: aide

Etymology 1

From Old French aide, from Latin adiuvō (“to assist, help”). Cognate include Spanish ayuda, Portuguese ajuda and Italian aiuto

Noun

aid (plural aids)

1. Help; assistance; succor, relief.

   He came to my aid when I was foundering.

   • An unconstitutional mode of obtaining aid. - Hallam
2. The person who promotes or helps in something being done; a helper; an assistant.
   • It is not good that man should be alone; let us make unto him an aid like unto himself. - Tobit viii. 6
3. Something which helps; a material source of help.

   The incompetent general's brilliant aid often made priceless suggestions.

4. (UK) A historical subsidy granted to the crown by Parliament for an extraordinary purpose, such as a war effort
5. (UK) An exchequer loan.
6. (law) A pecuniary tribute paid by a vassal to his feudal lord on special occasions.
7. An aide-de-camp, so called by abbreviation

Derived terms

• aid climbing
• aidful
• aidless
• aidman
• first aid

Translations

help; succor; assistance; relief

• Armenian: օգնություն (hy) (ōgnutʿyun)
• Bulgarian: помощ (bg) (pomošt)
• Czech: pomoc (cs) f
• Danish: hjælp (da), bistand (da)
• Dutch: hulp (nl), bijstand (nl)
• Esperanto: helpo (eo)
• Finnish: apu (fi)
• French: aide (fr) f
• German: Hilfe (de) f
• Hebrew: סיוע (si'ua) m
• Irish: cabhair (ga) f, cuidiú (ga) m, cúnamh (ga) m

• Italian: aiuto (it) m
• Japanese: 助け (ja) (tasuke), 支援 (ja) (shien), 援助 (ja) (enjo)
• Latin: auxilium (la) n
• Malay: pertolongan (ms)
• Portuguese: ajuda (pt) f, auxílio (pt) m, socorro (pt) m
• Romanian: ajutor (ro) n
• Sicilian: aiutu m, ajutu m
• Spanish: ayuda (es) f, auxilio (es) m
• Telugu: సహాయము (te)
• Walloon: aidance (wa) f

a person that promotes or helps in something being done; a helper

• Bulgarian: помощник (bg) (pomoštnik)
• Danish: hjælper (da)
• Dutch: helper (nl), assistent (nl), hulpje (nl)
• German: Helfer (de) m
• Italian: aiutante (it) m

• Japanese: 助手 (ja) (joshu)
• Portuguese: ajudante (pt) c, auxiliar (pt) c
• Romanian: ajutor (ro) m and f
• Spanish: ayudante (es) m and f, asistente (es) m and f

something which helps; a material source of help

• Bulgarian: помощ (bg) (pomošt)
• Czech: pomůcka (cs) f
• Danish: hjælpemiddel (da)
• Dutch: hulpmiddel (nl)
• Finnish: apu (fi)
• German: Hilfe (de) f, Hilfsmittel (de) n

• Italian: aiuto (it)
• Japanese: 支援 (ja) (shien), 援助 (ja) (enjo)
• Portuguese: ajuda f, auxílio m
• Romanian: ajutor (ro)
• Spanish: remedio (es) m, recurso (es) m

subsidy granted to the crown by parliament

• Dutch: bede (nl), aide (nl)

• French: aide (fr) f

Exchequer loan

aide-de-camp — see aide-de-camp

Etymology 2

From Old French aidier (modern aider), from Latin adiuto, frequentative of adiuvo "to assist".

Verb

aid (third-person singular simple present aids, present participle aiding, simple past and past participle aided)

1. (transitive) To (give) support (to); to further the progress of; to help; to assist.
   • Shakespeare

     You speedy helpers […] Appear and aid me in this enterprise.

   • 2012 May 24, Nathan Rabin, “Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3”, The Onion AV Club:

     Smith is aided in his quest by an elfin, time-jumping alien with psychic powers played by another Coen brothers veteran, A Serious Man star Michael Stuhlbarg.

Synonyms

• assist
• befriend
• bestand
• cooperate
• help
• promote
• relieve
• succor
• support
• sustain

Derived terms

• aidable
• aidance
• aider

Related terms

• aidant
• aide, aide-de-camp

Translations

to support

• Armenian: օգնել (hy) (ōgnel)
• Bulgarian: помагам (bg) (pomagam), подпомагам (bg) (podpomagam)
• Czech: pomáhat (cs), asistovat (cs), napomáhat (cs)
• Danish: hjælpe (da), bistå (da)
• Dutch: helpen (nl), bijstaan (nl)
• Finnish: auttaa (fi)
• French: aider (fr)
• German: helfen (de)
• Italian: aiutare (it)

• Japanese: 補助する (ja) (ほじょする, hojo suru); 援助する (ja) (えんじょする, enjo suru)
• Latin: iuvare (la)
• Nahuatl: macoa
• Portuguese: ajudar (pt), auxiliar (pt)
• Romanian: ajuta (ro)
• Russian: помогать (ru) (pomogatʹ)
• Spanish: ayudar (es)
• Welsh: cymorthwyo (cy)

Anagrams

• Adi, Dai, DIA, IAD, I'da, Ida