aide

An aide is a person who provides assistance to another person, typically in a formal or professional setting. Unlike the noun aid, which means help itself, an aide refers to the person who offers that help and carries out tasks on behalf of someone else.

In politics and government, aides support elected or appointed leaders by handling schedules, communications, research, and liaison tasks. In the military, an aide-de-camp is a junior officer serving as a personal assistant to a senior officer. In education and healthcare, teacher's aides and nurse's aides perform support work under supervision.

Role and responsibilities vary by field. Aides may perform administrative duties, manage records, prepare briefings, accompany their principals to meetings, or assist with direct care such as basic patient assistance. Some positions require training or certification, particularly in healthcare, while others are entry-level paraprofessional roles.

Spelling and usage notes: aide is the common spelling for a person who assists; aid is the help itself. The term is often paired with descriptors like administrative aide, senior aide, or personal aide, and in some contexts is formalized as a job title. The compound form aide-de-camp is used in military contexts to denote a specific kind of personal assistant.