Elsewhere

How to spell elsewhere

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce elsewhere

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does elsewhere mean?

1. adverbIn, at, or to some other place.

Elsewhere in a sentence

• The shop was out of stock, so she bought the part elsewhere.

• If the team cannot agree, the decision will be made elsewhere.

Where does elsewhere come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is a native English compound, formed from the Old English elles, meaning 'other' or 'otherwise', and hwaer, meaning 'where' or 'in what place'. The element elles traces back to a Proto-Germanic root tied to the idea of 'something different', and it survives today in the common word 'else'. The two parts were joined to express the simple notion of being in some other place, and the spelling settled into a single word over many centuries. Because both halves are familiar, the only real trap is remembering that 'else' keeps its silent final 'e' before 'where' joins on, giving the doubled look of 'elsewhere'. The compound has been in continuous English use since the Old English period, long before the Norman influence reshaped much of the language.

How the word is built

• else (other, otherwise)
• where (in or at what place)