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Origin and history of aid

aid(n.)

early 15c., aide, "war-time tax," also "help, support, assistance," from Old French aide, earlier aiudha "aid, help, assistance," from Late Latin adiuta, noun use of fem. of adiutus, past participle of Latin adiuvare "to give help to," from ad "to" (see ad-) + iuvare "to help, give strength, support, sustain," which is from a PIE source perhaps related to the root of iuvenis "young person" (see young (adj.)).

The meaning "thing by which assistance is given" is recorded from 1590s; the sense of "person who assists, helper" is from 1560s. The meaning "material help given by one country to another" is from 1940.

also from early 15c.

aid(v.)

"to assist, help," c. 1400, aiden, from Old French aidier "help, assist" (Modern French aider), from Latin adiutare, frequentative of adiuvare (past participle adiutus) "to give help to," from ad "to" (see ad-) + iuvare "to help, assist, give strength, support, sustain," which is from a PIE source perhaps related to the root of iuvenis "young person" (see young (adj.)). Related: Aided; aiding.

also from c. 1400

Entries linking to aid

young(adj.)

Middle English yong, from Old English geong "being in the early stage of life, not old; youthful, being in the early stages of adulthood; recent, new, fresh, vernal;" from Proto-Germanic *junga-, reconstructed to be from a suffixed form of PIE root *yeu- "vital force, youthful vigor."

Cognates include Sanskrit yuvan- "young; young man;" Avestan yuuanem, yunam "youth," yoista- "youngest;" Latin juvenis "young," iunior "younger, more young;" Lithuanian jaunas, Old Church Slavonic junu, Russian junyj "young," Old Irish oac, Welsh ieuanc "young." Germanic cognates include Old Saxon and Old Frisian jung, Old Norse ungr, Middle Dutch jonc, Dutch jong, Old High German and German jung, Gothic juggs.

As "characteristic of or appropriate to the young," late 12c. Generally, of things, concrete or abstract, "being in the first or early stage of existence," c. 1400. Related: Younger; youngest.

Young France, Young Italy, Poland, Ireland, etc., were loosely applied c. 1830-1850 to "republican agitators" in various monarchies. Young England was the name of a mid-19c. political faction led by young Tory aristocrats; Young America were used generally for "typical young person of the nation." For Young Turk, see Turk.

aide(n.)

"officer whose duty is to receive and communicate the orders of a general officer," 1777, short for aide-de-camp (1660s), a French term in English, literally "camp assistant" (see aid (n.)). Plural of the full term is aides-de-camp.