Definition of the word put aside

The phrase "put aside" originated from the Old English word "asettan," meaning "to place." In Middle English, this phrase was pronounced as "asettyen" and eventually evolved into "settyen" in Early Modern English. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) first recorded the use of "put aside" in the 16th century, when it meant "to place at a distance" or "to remove from a previous position." The modern meaning of "put aside" as "to reserve for future use" emerged in the 19th century. In essence, the word's roots lie in the idea of physically moving something to a new location, which has been transformed across time to convey a broader sense of setting aside or prioritizing other actions.