beside oneself
beside oneself (idiom)
/bɪˈsaɪd wʌnˌsɛlf/
Meanings
- Extremely upset, angry, or agitated.
- Deeply shocked or distressed.
- Overcome with strong emotion (joy, fear, grief, or excitement).
- Out of control or not in one’s normal state of mind.
Synonyms: distraught; overcome; agitated; hysterical; uncontrolled; overwhelmed.
Example Sentences
- She was beside herself with anger when she heard the unfair decision.
- He was beside himself with grief after the sudden loss of his friend.
- They were beside themselves with joy when their team won the final match.
- The child was beside himself with fear during the thunderstorm.
Origin and History
The idiom “beside oneself” arose from the older meaning of “beside” as “outside,” giving the sense of being “outside oneself” or no longer in one’s normal state of mind. Classical ideas of ecstasy and possession, especially in Greek and Latin thought, also shaped the phrase. In these traditions, the soul was described as leaving the body during moments of overwhelming emotion or trance. Continental expressions, such as the French hors de soi, reinforced this imagery. Translators into English carried the phrase into vernacular usage, presenting it as an established expression.
“To be beside oneself is to stand outside the ordinary mind, overcome by force of feeling.”
Classical antecedents: Greek and Latin imagery
The phrase draws directly on ancient descriptions of ecstatic states. Greek roots behind words like “ecstasy” and compounds such as “paranoia” expressed being “outside” or “beside” one’s normal thought. Latin writers continued this imagery, describing intense emotion as a form of displacement of the self. This foundation ensured that the metaphor was already well established long before English adopted it.
“He who is in ecstasy is no longer himself, but stands beside himself.”
Transmission via French and the role of Caxton
The immediate path into English came through French and Latin texts. Translators in the fifteenth century, most notably William Caxton, drew directly from these sources. His renderings of French hors de soi gave the English idiom its first printed form. From this point the phrase entered the language as a fixed expression for intense emotional disturbance.
“Caxton’s pen carried the phrase from French into English, giving us the idiom we know today.”
Earliest Printed English Record
The earliest printed example appears in William Caxton’s English translation of the Aeneid, titled Eneydos, printed in Westminster in 1490. The text reads in its original form:
“…and as tryste sorowfulle and besyde hymself wyst not to whom complayne…”
This quotation confirms that the phrase was already functioning idiomatically in late fifteenth-century English.
Country/Place of Origin
The idiom first appeared in print in England. Caxton’s Eneydos was produced at his press in Westminster, London, in 1490. While the metaphor has European roots, its first fixed English form comes directly from this work.
“The Westminster press gave the English language the printed phrase ‘beside himself’ in 1490.”
Later Early-Modern Attestations and Biblical Usage
The idiom continued into the seventeenth century, gaining further authority through its presence in the King James Bible of 1611. In Acts 26:24, the text records:
“Paul, thou art beside thy selfe; much learning doth make thee mad.”
This biblical use firmly anchored the phrase in English idiom, ensuring its survival and spread.
Assessment and Conclusion
The phrase “beside oneself” comes from ancient imagery of being “outside” one’s normal mind, reinforced through Latin and French usage. Its first English appearance in print was William Caxton’s Eneydos in 1490, establishing the idiom in vernacular English. The subsequent biblical usage in 1611 confirmed its place in literary and everyday speech. The phrase has since carried its figurative power unchanged: the idea of standing outside one’s ordinary self, overwhelmed by strong emotion.
“From Caxton’s page to the King James Bible, the idiom has remained vivid: to be beside oneself is to be driven beyond one’s ordinary bounds.”
Variants
- beside himself / herself / themselvesmo
- nearly beside oneself
- almost beside oneself
Similar Idioms
Last update:
Share your opinions