sidebar
n.a short section of text next to a main article that gives extra information. In a conversation, it is also a quick talk about a different topic than the main one.
n.a short piece of text placed alongside a main article, providing additional or explanatory information. In legal or professional contexts, refers to a brief, private discussion held away from the main proceedings.
“The sidebar in the magazine explains the history of the building.”
“The website includes a sidebar with links to related stories and recent comments from readers.”
“While the main report focuses on the economic data, a helpful sidebar provides biographical sketches of the key researchers involved in the study to give the reader more context.”
In legal contexts, often used as a compound noun or a prepositional phrase ('at sidebar').
From side + bar.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.