Others

How to spell others

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce others

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does others mean?

1. pronounAdditional or different people or things beyond the ones already mentioned.

Others in a sentence

• Some staff worked from home while others came into the office.

• She finished her own report and then helped the others with theirs.

Where does others come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word descends from the Old English oþer, meaning 'the second of two' or 'one more besides', which traces back to a shared Germanic ancestor reflected in the Dutch 'ander' and the German 'ander'. Deeper still, scholars connect it to an old Indo-European form built on a root meaning 'one of two', the same comparative impulse seen in Latin and Sanskrit number words. Over time the narrow sense 'second' broadened into the general 'different' or 'additional' that we use today, and the plural 'others' came to stand for the remaining people or things in a group. The spelling kept the 'th' that the Old English thorn letter once carried, and the modern form simply adds the plural -s. Because it is such an ordinary word, its tangled ancient pedigree is easy to overlook.

How the word is built

• oth- (from Old English oþer: second, other)
• -er (comparative/pronoun base)
• -s (plural)