else

else · adjective, adverb, conjunction¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*h₂élyos
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*aljas“of another, of something else”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*alljas
4. Old English · inherited fromelles“other, otherwise, different”
5. Middle English · inherited fromells
6. English todayelse

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.

Else · proper noun²

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*aliʀu“alder”
2. English todayElse

* As an English surname, spelling variant of Ell. * As a north German surname, of Low German origin, from Proto-West Germanic *aliʀu (“alder”), comparable to Dutch els.

Words from the same roots