setting aside; leaving aside
Used as a conjunction to introduce a topic while explicitly putting another topic aside. Often appears as ～はさておき.
See also: さておく
冗談はさておき、本題に入りましょう。
Joking aside, let's get down to business.
見た目はさておき、味はとてもいい。
Appearance aside, it tastes very good.
Joking aside, let's get down to business.
それはさておき、来週の予定を確認しましょう。
Anyway, setting that aside, let's check next week's schedule.
ともかく means 'anyway/in any case' and moves on without specifically flagging a topic as set aside, while さておき explicitly names the topic being put aside before shifting to another.
別として treats something as a separate matter to be excluded from the current discussion, much like さておき, but 別として is slightly more formal and often used with 'except for' nuance.
ともあれ means 'in any case, be that as it may' and is used to move past a prior point without pinpointing it, whereas さておき deliberately names the topic being set aside.
さておき is the core verb form meaning 'setting aside,' while それはさておき is the fuller fixed phrase that explicitly names 'that' as the thing being set aside.
Kanji spelling using 置く; rarely used in modern writing.
Kanji spelling using 扨; very rare and archaic.
Kanji spelling using 扨 and 措く; very rare and archaic.
Kanji spelling using 扠; very rare and archaic.
From さて (well, now) + 置き (continuative form of 置く, to put/place). Literally 'putting that aside'.