other

[ uhth-er ]

adjective

1. additional or further:

   he and one other person.

2. different or distinct from the one or ones already mentioned or implied:

   I'd like to live in some other city.

   The TV show follows the lives of people who are married, single, or other.

   The application gives three gender choices—male, female, and other.

3. different in nature or kind:

   I would not have him other than he is.

4. being the remaining one of two or more:

   the other hand.

5. (used with plural nouns) being the remaining ones of a number:

   the other men;

   some other countries.

6. former; earlier:

   sailing ships of other days.

7. not long past:

   the other night.

noun

1. the other one:

   Each praises the other.

2. (often initial capital letter) none the other,
   1. a group or member of a group that is perceived as different, foreign, strange, etc.:

      Prejudice comes from fear of the other.

   2. a person or thing that is the counterpart of someone or something else:

      the role of the Other in the development of self.

pronoun

1. Usually others. other persons or things:

   others in the medical profession.

2. some person or thing else:

   Surely some friend or other will help me.

adverb

1. otherwise; differently (usually followed by than ):

   We can't collect the rent other than by suing the tenant.

verb (used with object)

1. to perceive or treat (a group or member of a group) as different, foreign, strange, etc.:

   Female murderers are othered by characterizing them as psychological oddities.

other

/ ˈʌðə /

determiner

1. 1. when used before a singular noun, usually preceded by the the remaining (one or ones in a group of which one or some have been specified)

      I'll read the other sections of the paper later

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as sing )

      one walks while the other rides

2. (a) different (one or ones from that or those already specified or understood)

   he found some other house

   no other man but you

   other days were happier

3. additional; further

   there are no other possibilities

4. preceded by every alternate; two

   it buzzes every other minute

5. other than
   1. apart from; besides

      a lady other than his wife

   2. different from Archaic formother from

      he couldn't be other than what he is

6. no other archaic.
   nothing else

   I can do no other

7. or other
   preceded by a phrase or word with some used to add vagueness to the preceding pronoun, noun, noun phrase, or adverb

   he's somewhere or other

   some dog or other bit him

8. other things being equal
   conditions being the same or unchanged
9. the other day
   a few days ago
10. the other thing
    an unexpressed alternative

pronoun

1. another

   show me one other

2. plural additional or further ones

   the police have found two and are looking for others

3. plural other people or things
4. the others
   the remaining ones (of a group)

   take these and leave the others

5. plural different ones (from those specified or understood) See also each other one another

   they'd rather have others, not these

adverb

1. usually used with a negative and foll by than otherwise; differently

   they couldn't behave other than they do

Usage

See otherwise

Word History and Origins

Origin of other¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English ōther (pronoun, adjective, and noun); cognate with German ander, Gothic anthar; akin to Sanskrit antara-

Word History and Origins

Origin of other¹

Old English ōther; related to Old Saxon āthar, ōthar, Old High German andar

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. every other, every alternate:

   a meeting every other week.

More idioms and phrases containing other

• at each other's throats
• do unto others
• each other
• every other
• in one ear and out the other
• in someone's pocket (live in each other's pockets)
• in other words
• laugh out of the other side of one's mouth
• look the other way
• made for (each other)
• none other than
• on the one (the other) hand
• or other
• right (other) side of the tracks
• shoe is on the other foot
• six of one, half a dozen of the other
• the other day
• this and that (and the other)
• turn the other cheek
• wait for the other shoe to drop

Example Sentences

Fairylands is a name that conjures up a dreamy, other-worldly place, somewhere to escape the cares of a busy life.

From The Daily Beast

She means well, and she's trying, clearly, to be some more real-world version of her other-worldly sister.

From The Daily Beast

This can lead to an other-than-honorable discharge, a bad-conduct discharge, or a dishonorable discharge.

From The Daily Beast

And with all this change, so curiously parallel to that of the Other-world, goes too the same inevitable change in ideals.

From The Daily Beast

We would talk off and on, just checking-up-on-each-other kind of thing.

From The Daily Beast

His name was Lefty something-or-other, and he was about the sneakiest stool the department had.

From Project Gutenberg

Rodney is thoroughly and comfortably this-worldly; Michael is—other-worldly!

From Project Gutenberg

In conclusion, we must consider an offshoot of other-world ideas—the belief in the transmigration of souls.

From Project Gutenberg

As a matter of fact, the retributive idea is far from being implicated with other-world hopes.

From Project Gutenberg

Intellectualism may not always be so clearly other-worldly as Plato shows himself to be in this passage.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alternative
• more
• new