aide

UK/eɪd/

nounC1Common in everyday speech and writing · #5,848 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: aides

An aide is an assistant to somebody important. A presidential aide, a senior aide, aides briefed the press.

It is the standard press word for a political staffer, and an unnamed aide is where most leaks come from. It comes from aide-de-camp, the officer attached to a general. Do not confuse it with aid, which is help itself rather than the person giving it.

Definitions of aide

1nounaideAn assistant to somebody important.C1
“The president's aide passed him a note during the press conference.”

aide is an assistant.

Where it comes from

French aide means help or a helper, shortened from aide-de-camp, a field assistant to a general.

French
aide
English, today
aide

Built from

aide-de-camp · French — field assistant

French aide "aid; assistant", as in aide-de-camp (“field assistant”). More at aid.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

aide in the wild

An aide-de-camp may participate at ceremonial functions, and the first aide-de-camp is typically the foremost personal aide.
Aide-de-camp
In some countries, aide-de-camp is considered to be a title of honour, which confers the post-nominal letters ADC or A de C.
Aide-de-camp
Functioning as a mobile hub in the strategic defense system of the United States, the football is carried by a military aide when the president is traveling.
Nuclear football
Such personal aides exist for many politicians aside from presidents, but the most famous have included personal aides to the president, as described below.
Personal aide to the president of the United States
Unlike other aides-de-camp, it is held only by members of the British royal family with military rank.
Personal aide-de-camp

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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