Where does “elseness” come from?
elseness (English) comes from English else, from Middle English ells, from Old English elles, from Proto-West Germanic alljas, from Proto-Germanic aljas, from Proto-Indo-European h₂élyos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-.
elseness (English): The quality of being something else
Definitions
- The quality of being something else
Ancestry of “elseness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | else | Other; in addition to previously mentioned items;... |
| 2 | Middle English | ells | — |
| 3 | Old English | elles | other, else; other, otherwise, different |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | alljas | else, otherwise, besides |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | aljas | of another, of something else |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂élyos | other, another |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | — |