Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the Proto-Germanic word *anþeraz

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
Inherited from
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énteros
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Germanic *anþeraz
Old Norse annarr
Proto-West Germanic *anþar
Dutch ander
Old English ōþer
English other
From the same root
Dutch anders ← ander
Dutch elkaar ← ander

Reconstruction

The word is *anþeraz in Orel and Wiktionary,[1][2] cited by its stem *anþara- in Kroonen and Köbler.[3][4] Ringe writes *anþaraz, with "*-eraz?" as an alternative.[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énteros (“other”);[2] Ringe starts from PIE *ánteros "other of two, second", apparently a derivative of *ályos "other" with an archaic l ~ n alternation.[5]

Morphology

An adjective that is always inflected strong.[6] It served as the ordinal "second": as in many IE languages, "first" and "second" were not related to the cardinals.[7] EWA analyses the PIE form as *on-t(e)ro-, with the comparative suffix *-tero.[8]

The vowel of the second syllable is uncertain.[9] Gothic and Old Norse have a, Old Saxon and Old High German often a, and only northern West Germanic typically e;[9] Ringe therefore infers that unstressed *e was lowered to *a before *r already in Proto-Germanic, but notes that the lowering could also have happened separately in the daughters.[9] Fulk cites the Old Norse handbooks, which expect the change of *er to *ar only in originally medial syllables, as in Old Norse annarr.[10]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌸𐌰𐍂 (anþar), Old Norse annarr, and Old English ōðer, Old Frisian ōther, Old Saxon ōthar and Old High German andar in West Germanic.[3] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible.[11] The nasal was lost before þ in Old English, Old Frisian and Old Saxon, but kept in Gothic and Old High German.[10] Outside Germanic, Orel equates it with the Sanskrit and Avestan words for "other", Oscan anter, Old Prussian antars (“other”), Lithuanian añtras and the Slavic *vъtorъ "second".[1]

Competing analyses

EWA lists Sanskrit and Avestan forms, Lithuanian añtras and Old Prussian antars as cognates; the link with the pronoun stem *eno- : *ono- "that" is possible, while Pokorny's derivation from a particle *an "there, on the other hand" is probably to be rejected.[8] EWA reports Hamp's view that the word meant "the other of two", against *al- "another of many", and Cowgill's proposal of an r/n alternation between *an-teros and *al-i̯os.[8] The Slavic word for "second" is joined to it by Schmalstieg and earlier by Trautmann and Meillet, but derived from *u̯i- "apart" by Vasmer and Pokorny.[8]

Meanings

  1. other, the other of two[3][1][4][2]
  2. second[3][2][7]

Old English also used it for "next",[12] Old Frisian for "further, remaining",[13] and Old High German for "the rest".[14]

Derivatives

  • *anþera-līkaz "different", a compound with *līkaz, whence the adverb Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌸𐌰𐍂𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍉 (anþarleiko, “otherwise”).[15]
  • *anþerą twajjǫ̂ "one of two, either", from the neuter of the word and the genitive of *twai.[16]

Reflexes

  • Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌸𐌰𐍂 (anþar, “other, second”)[11]
  • Old Norse: annarr (“other”)[17]
  • Old English: ōþer (“other, second, next”)[12]
  • Old Frisian: ōther (“second, other, further”)[13]
  • Old Saxon: ōthar (“other”)[18]
  • Old High German: ander (“the other, the second”)[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *anþeraz
  2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *anþeraz
  3. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 30
  4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *anþara-
  5. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 116
  6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 231
  8. ^ a b c d e Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. ander
  9. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 150
  10. ^ a b Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
  11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. anþar
  12. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ōþer
  13. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. ōther
  14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ander
  15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *anþera-līkaz
  16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *anþerą twajjǫ̂
  17. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. annarr
  18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ōthar

Related etymologies

  • *stainaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *beraną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fadēr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *watōr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *ga- · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *frijaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fallaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *standaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
Cite this entry

“*anþeraz.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gem-pro/*an%C3%BEeraz. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

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