English Explanatory Dictionary

else

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Other; in addition to previously mentioned items.
adv
  1. Otherwise, if not.
conj
  1. For otherwise; or else.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ɛls/ /ɛlts/ en-us-else.ogg

Word forms

else

Etymology

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”), Proto-Slavic *olni.

Synonyms

otherwise

Related words

and if not or then

Derived words

all else being equal all else the same anybody else anyone else anyplace else anything else anywhere else elif elsehow elseness elseward elseweb elsewhat elsewhen elsewhence elsewhere elsewhither elsewho elsewhom elsewise elseworld everybody else everyone else everywhere else if all else fails if nothing else like nobody else most else much else nobody else nothing else nothing else for it nowhen else Nowhere Else somebody else someone else someplace else something else somewhere else what else what else is new or else if-then-else dangling else
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