side effect
or side-ef·fect
noun
any effect of a drug, chemical, or other medicine that is in addition to its intended effect, especially an effect that is harmful or unpleasant.
any accompanying or consequential and usually detrimental effect: the side effects of air pollution.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
side circuit, side curl, side deal, side dish, side drum, side effect, side horse, side meat, side money, side of the tracks, side pot
Origin of side effect
First recorded in 1880–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for side effect
side effect
noun
any unwanted nontherapeutic effect caused by a drugCompare aftereffect (def. 2)
any secondary effect, esp an undesirable one
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for side effect
side effect
also side-effect, 1884, from side (adj.) + effect (n.). Medical use, with reference to drugs, is recorded from 1939.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for side effect
side effect
n.
A peripheral or secondary effect, especially an undesirable secondary effect of a drug or therapeutic regimen.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.