— aider , n. — aidful , adj. — aidless , adj.
/ayd/ , v.t.
1. to provide support for or relief to; help: to aid the homeless victims of the fire.
2. to promote the progress or accomplishment of; facilitate.
v.i.
3. to give help or assistance.
n.
4. help or support; assistance.
5. a person or thing that aids or furnishes assistance; helper; auxiliary.
6. aids , Manège.
a. Also called natural aids . the means by which a rider communicates with and controls a horse, as the hands, legs, voice, and shifts in weight.
b. Also called artificial aids . the devices by means of which a rider increases control of a horse, as spurs, whip, and martingale.
7. aide-de-camp.
8. See foreign aid .
9. a payment made by feudal vassals to their lord on special occasions.
10. Eng. Hist. (after 1066) any of several revenues received by a king in the Middle Ages from his vassals and other subjects, limited by the Magna Charta to specified occasions.
[ 1375-1425; (n.) late ME ayde aide, n. deriv. of aid ( i ) er adjutare to help (freq. of adjuvare ), equiv. to ad- AD- + -ju- help + -t- freq. suffix + -are inf. suffix; (v.) aid ( i ) er ]
Syn. 1. See help. 2. abet, back, foster, advance. 4. succor; relief; subsidy, grant.
Ant. 2. hinder, frustrate.
Usage . Although the nouns AID and AIDE both have among their meanings "an assisting person," the spelling AIDE is increasingly used for the sense "helper, assistant": One of the senator's aides is calling. AIDE in military use is short for aide-de-camp. It is also the spelling in nurse's aide.