else
English
Etymology
From Middle English ells, elles, from Old English elles (“other, otherwise, different”), from Proto-Germanic *aljas (“of another, of something else”), genitive of *aljaz (“other”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élios, 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), αἶλος (aîlos) (Arcadocypriot), (Modern Greek αλλιώς (alliós, “otherwise, else”)).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA(key): /ɛls/
- (colloquial) IPA(key): /ɛlts/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɛls
Adjective
else (not comparable)
- (postpositive, used only with indefinite or interrogative pronouns) Other; in addition to previously mentioned items.
- The instructor is busy. Can anyone else help me?
- c. 1610-11, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, 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.
Usage notes
- This adjective usually follows an indefinite or interrogative pronoun, as in the examples above. In other cases, the adjective other is typically used.
Derived terms
Terms derived from the adjective else
- anybody else
- anyone else
- anyplace else
- anything else
- anywhere else
- elsehow
- elseness
- elseward
- elsewhat
- elsewhen
- elsewhence
- elsewhere
- elsewhither
- elsewho
- elsewhom
- elsewise
- everybody else
- everyone else
- everything else
- everywhere else
- most else
- much else
- nobody else
- nothing else
- nowhere else
- someone else
- something else
- somewhere else
- what else
- what else is new
Translations
other
Adverb
else (not comparable)
- (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?
Usage notes
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
word that implies any result with the exception of the one being referred to
|
statement in computing that indicates the result of a conditional statement (if) evaluating as false
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Conjunction
else
- For otherwise; or else.
- Then the Wronskian of f and g must be nonzero, else they could not be linearly independent.
- 1903, Jack London, The Call of the Wild, Grosset & Dunlap, page 44:
- […] and his first experience taught him an unforgetable lesson. It is true, it was a vicarious experience, else he would not have lived to profit by it.
- (computing, in many programming languages and pseudocode) but if the condition of the previous if clause is false, do the following.
Translations
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.