côtés

Côtés is the plural form of the French noun côté, meaning side, edge, face, or aspect. It designates the physical sides of an object, such as the quatre côtés d'un rectangle, and can also refer to figurative aspects of a topic, as in les différents côtés d'une question. In everyday language, the word appears in expressions indicating position, such as de ce côté, de l’autre côté, à côté de, or when naming a side of a place, for example le côté jardin or le côté rue.

Etymology and spelling: Côté derives from Latin costa meaning rib or side, with the circumflex on the o reflecting historical sound changes in French. The plural adds -s, giving côtés. This form should not be confused with côtes, a different word meaning coasts or ribs, which is pronounced and used in its own contexts.

Usage notes: In geometry and design, côtés refers to the sides or faces of polygons and solids. In everyday speech, it also covers non-physical aspects or viewpoints, for example, les côtés positifs et négatifs d'une proposition. The plural endings are usually silent in ordinary speech, though liaison may occur in fluent speech.

See also: côté (singular) and côtes (coasts or ribs), which are related terms but distinct in meaning and usage.