in a general sense, denotes any kind of assistance given by one person to another.

Aid, or Ayde, in law, denotes a petition made in court to call in help from another person who has interest in land, or any other thing contested.

Aid-de-camp, in military affairs, an officer employed to receive and carry the orders of a general.

Aid-major, the French term for an adjutant. See the article Adjutant.

Aid, auxilium, in ancient customs, a subsidy paid by vassals to their lord on certain occasions.

Such were the aid of relief, paid upon the death of the Lord Mene to his heir; the aid cheval, or capital pital aid, due to the chief lord on several occasions, as, to make his eldest son a knight; to make up a portion for marrying his daughter, &c.

Royal Aid, an appellation sometimes given to the land-tax.

AIDS, in the French customs, certain duties paid on all goods exported or imported into that kingdom.

Court of Aids, in France, a sovereign court established in several cities, which has cognizance of all causes relating to the taxes, gabels, and aids.

Aids, in the menage, are the same with what some writers call cherishing, and used to avoid the necessity of corrections.

The inner heel, inner leg, inner rein, &c., are called inner aids; as the outer heel, outer leg, outer rein, &c., are called outer aids.

Aids of officers of wood. See Assizer.