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else - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Middle English ells, elles, from Old English elles (other, otherwise, different), from Proto-West Germanic *alljas, from Proto-Germanic *aljas (of another, of something else), genitive of *aljaz (other), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos, from *h₂el- (other).

Cognate with Old Frisian elles (other), Old High German elles, ellies (other), Danish eller (or), Danish ellers (otherwise), Swedish eljes, eljest (or else, otherwise), Norwegian elles (else, otherwise), Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌹𐍃 (aljis, other), Latin alius (other, another), Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos), Arcadocypriot αἶλος (aîlos), modern Greek αλλιώς (alliós, otherwise, else).

else (not comparable)

  1. (postpositive, used only with indefinite or interrogative pronouns) Other; in addition to previously mentioned items.

    The instructor is busy. Can anyone else help me?

    • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

      Prospero:
      Thou hast done well, fine Ariel. Follow me;
      Hark what thou else shalt do me.

    • 2013, Keith T. Krawczynski, Daily Life in the Colonial City:

      As with most else in society, early Americans believed that health and healing were in God's hand.

  • This adjective usually follows an indefinite or interrogative pronoun, as in the examples above. In other cases, the adjective other is typically used.

(Terms derived from the adjective else):

other

else (not comparable)

  1. (usually follows interrogative adverbs) Otherwise, if not.

    How else (= in what other way) can it be done?

    I'm busy Friday; when else (= what other time) works for you?

word that implies any result with the exception of the one being referred to

else

  1. For otherwise; or else.

    Then the Wronskian of f and g must be nonzero, else they could not be linearly independent.

else f

  1. plural of elsa