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”).

adj

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?
   As with most else in society, early Americans believed that health and healing were in God's hand. 2013, Keith T. Krawczynski, Daily Life in the Colonial City

adv

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?

conj

1. For otherwise; or else.
   Then the Wronskian of f and g must be nonzero, else they could not be linearly independent.