sidelight
noun
side·light ˈsīd-ˌlīt 
1
a
: light coming or produced from the side
b
: incidental light or information
2
: the red light on the port bow or the green light on the starboard bow carried by ships underway at night
Example Sentences
The book includes some amusing sidelights about his childhood.
Recent Examples on the Web Occupying the museum’s eighth floor, the array provides a sidelight (or prequel) to the Whitney’s selection of touchstone pieces from its collection, dating from 1900 to 1965, on the seventh floor. 
Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 The dispute over the Republicans' attorneys was a sidelight to a larger fight over where to put the lines. Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2022 American Oversight's records lawsuits are a sidelight to a broader legal fight over Gableman's work. Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Dec. 2021 Regardless, the wrangling over obscure parliamentary proceedings remains a sidelight to the larger dynamic of the Build Back Better Act. San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2021 The craft is a sidelight for Crawford, 43, a cybersecurity analyst who works for the Army at Fort Meade. Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, 19 Aug. 2021 As a historical sidelight, it might be noted that sometimes spring, even early spring, is and can be very warm. Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2021 This is simply a fun little sidelight, Manziel insisted, giving him a chance to take a few snaps in an intriguing new venture and perhaps help some up-and-comers get a look from the NFL. Paul Newberry, ajc, 13 Feb. 2021 The exterior walls were all translucent, allowing for ample sidelight. Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2020 See More
Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 The dispute over the Republicans' attorneys was a sidelight to a larger fight over where to put the lines. Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2022 American Oversight's records lawsuits are a sidelight to a broader legal fight over Gableman's work. Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Dec. 2021 Regardless, the wrangling over obscure parliamentary proceedings remains a sidelight to the larger dynamic of the Build Back Better Act. San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2021 The craft is a sidelight for Crawford, 43, a cybersecurity analyst who works for the Army at Fort Meade. Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, 19 Aug. 2021 As a historical sidelight, it might be noted that sometimes spring, even early spring, is and can be very warm. Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2021 This is simply a fun little sidelight, Manziel insisted, giving him a chance to take a few snaps in an intriguing new venture and perhaps help some up-and-comers get a look from the NFL. Paul Newberry, ajc, 13 Feb. 2021 The exterior walls were all translucent, allowing for ample sidelight. Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a