Contextualizebeta

by the way

prep_phrase

Etymology

First appeared in the 10th century with literal meaning "by the side of the road", from Old English weġ (which became "way") meaning "road". Soon afterward (circa 1000) it came to mean "during one's journey". The figurative meaning developed in the mid-16th century, with the first instance of the modern meaning being from 1614.

Definitions

  1. Incidentally

    Incidentally; used in referencing a parenthetical statement not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; foregone, passed by, something that has already happened.

    • His mother will be coming for dinner tomorrow, and, by the way, she recently sold her collection of ceramic eggs.
    • […] I had counted on a life-lease of the profits, whereas I only received those of a few short years. But this is by the way.

  2. Irrelevantly, off-topic.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for by the way. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA