'roadside' originates from the combination of 'road' and 'side', where 'road' meant 'a way or path' and 'side' meant 'the edge or border'.

'road' and 'side' were combined in Middle English to form 'roadside', eventually becoming the modern English word 'roadside'.

Initially, it meant 'the side of a road', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.