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.
   • 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) 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. Italian: aiuto (it) m. Japanese: 助け (tasuke), 支援 (sien), 援助 (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. Walloon: aidance (wa) f.

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

Bulgarian: помощник (bg) Danish: hjælper (da) Dutch: helper (nl), assistent (nl), hulpje (nl) German: Helfer (de) m.

Italian: aiutante (it) m. Japanese: 助手 (joshu) Portuguese: ajudante (pt) c., auxiliar (pt) c. Spanish: ayudante (es) m. and f., asistente (es) m. and f.

something which helps; a material source of help

Bulgarian: помощ (bg) 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 (sien), 援助 (enjo) Portuguese: ajuda f., auxílio m. 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.
   • You speedy helpers... Appear and aid me in this enterprise. - Shakespeare

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), подпомагам (bg) 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 (hojo suru); 援助する (enjo suru) Latin: iuvare (la) Nahuatl: macoa Portuguese: ajudar (pt), auxiliar (pt) Russian: помогать (ru) Spanish: ayudar (es) Welsh: cymorthwyo (cy)

Anagrams

• Adi, Dai, DIA, IAD, I'da, Ida