Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “otherwise” come from?

Otherwise comes from Middle English otherwise, from Old English on ōþre wīsan, literally meaning "in another manner."

otherwise (English): Differently, in another way; In different...

Definitions

  1. Differently, in another way; In different...

Ancestry of “otherwise”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishotherwise—
2Old Englishon ōþre wīsan—
Every word from Old English on ōþre wīsan →