a., pron. (and adv.) [orig. separately an other (often a nother, rarely a other), and really two words, = a second, a remaining, a different. In OE. án not being yet weakened to the ‘indef. article,’ óðer was used by itself, as still in the plural other, absolutely others. See OTHER.]
I. A second, further, additional. (Another is distinguished from the other, in that, while the latter points to the remaining determinate member of a known series of two or more, another refers indefinitely to any further member of a series of indeterminate extent; it is not therefore applied to the determinate second of two.)
1. One more, one further; originally a second of two things; subsequently extended to anything additional or remaining beyond those already considered; an additional.
a. with sb. expressed. (Pl. other.)
c. 1374. Chaucer, Anel. & Arc., 144. And sawe a noþere ladye proude and nuwe. Ibid. (c. 1385), L. G. W., 594. And wolde algates han a nother [v.r. another, a-nothir, an othir] wif.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XV. 7038. Anoþer brother of þo bold to þe buerne rode.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. vi. 302. Ðis Alane … Ane oþir Dowchtyr had.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., I. i. 3. Nowe he takithe an other arowe, and wolle shete aȝen.
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., I. i. 150. Clarence hath not another day to liue.
1604. Hieron, Wks., I. 569. Shew me but one commandement To proue an other sacrament.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 2, ¶ 2. The Gentleman next in esteem among us is another Batchelor.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 528. Another fugitive was Richard Goodenough.
1870. Jevons, Elem. Log., xxiii. 194. Another example of this kind.
Mod. Try another pear. Discovery of another asteroid.
b. with sb. understood. (Pl. others.)
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 1685. Ane [manere of dede] es bodily ded … Ane other gastely, þe thred endeles.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. Prol. 185. Thouȝ we culled þe catte, ȝut sholde þer come another.
a. 1422. Henry V., in Ellis, Orig. Lett., III. 32, I. 75. We send a Lettre to our Cosin ye Bysshop of Excetre … and a noþer to ye Bysshop of Lincoln.
a. 1553. Udall, Roister D., III. v. R. If it were an other but thou, it were a knaue. M. Ye are an other your selfe, sir.
1590. Shaks., Com. Err., III. i. 52. Dro. Haue at you with a Prouerbe, Shall I set in my staffe. Luce. Haue at you with another, that’s when? can you tell? Ibid. (1605), Macb., IV. i. 118. Another yet? a seauenth? Ile see no more.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, IX. vi. (D.). ‘You mistake me, friend … I only said your conclusion was a non sequitur.’ ‘You are another,’ cries the sergeant.
1882. Lit. World, 3 June, 184/3. The argument of it is simply ‘You’re another’—a retort in dignified manner to those British critics, [etc.].
c. Such another: another of the same sort.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 1942. For nakins chaunce Sal i ta suilk a noiþer wengance.
a. 1553. Udall, Roister D., III. v. Pay the like hire, I will make you suche an other.
1599. Shaks., Much Ado, III. iv. 87. Yet Benedicke was such another, and now is he become a man.
Mod. I never saw such another.
2. fig. A second in effect, though not in name or intention; a second in likeness of character or attributes; a counterpart to.
c. 1577. Hellowes, Gueuara’s Epist., I. 113. I bewaile the death of my friend which is another my selfe.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., III. i. 119. A Ladder, quaintly made of Cords … Would serue to scale another Hero’s towre. Ibid. (1599), Much Ado, V. iv. 62. Another Hero! Nothing certainer.
Mod. That boy will be another Nelson some day.
II. Not this, not the same, a different.
3. By giving prominence to the fact that this is not that already considered: A different.
a. with sb. expressed.
c. 1225. St. Margarete (1866), 74. He was al out of rede As he wer in anoþer wordle.
1382. Wyclif, 2 Cor. xi. 4. If he that cometh prechith anothir Crist … or if ȝe taken anothir spirit.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XV. 6628. Anon to anothir side naitly he dryuys.
a. 1520. Myrr. our Ladye, 8. The better wyll he be aduysed, or he blame an other mannes studdy.
1611. Bible, Prov. xxvii. 2. Let another man praise thee, and not thing owne mouth.
1687. Lady Russell, Lett., I. lii. 127. I am glad you find cause to be of another mind.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 96, ¶ 6. To go among quite another People.
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 549, ¶ 3. Preparing … for another world.
1808. Scott, Marm., VI. xx. Another sight had seen that morn … And Flodden had been Bannockbourn!
1883. Ld. Granville, Sp. in Parl., 18 June, 2/2. I hear that question is to be asked in another place [circumlocution for the House of Commons] by Mr. Warton.
b. with sb. not expressed.
Mod. This towel will not do; give me another. Ask him to give you another for it.
c. esp. of persons: Another person, some one else, any one else. (In this sense another has poss. another’s; pl. others, poss. others’.
1340. Ayenb., 155. Huanne hi eft yzyeþ anoþrene þet ine anoþre stat deþ manie guodes.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 3. Þus seiþ an oþer.
1526. Tindale, Col. iii. 13. If eny man have a quarrel to a nother. Ibid., Matt. xi. 3. Arte thou he that shall come: or shall we loke for another?
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. (1873), 2. And blaze from … the least spark of another’s knowledge.
1632. Sanderson, 12 Serm., 14. Taught him his lesson, not to despise anothers infirmity.
1752. J. Gill, Trinity, iv. 82. The Father has life in himself; he does not owe his being to another.
1879. Tennyson, Lover’s T., 41. There, where I hoped myself to reign … There, in my realm … Another!
4. Different in effect; different in character, though the same in substance.
1382. Wyclif, 1 Sam. x. 6. Thow shalt be chaungid into another man [so in all versions]. Ibid., Gal. i. 6. Another euangelic, which is not another. 1611 ibid. Another [Gr. ἔτερον] gospel which yet is not another [Gr. ἄλλο].
1588. Bernard, Terence (N.). He is nowe become another man.
1877. Brockett, Cross & Cresc., 87. From that time I became another man.
5. Const. than (from catachr.).
a. 1656. Ussher, Serm., in Southey, Commonpl. Bk., Ser. II. (1849), 98. Neyther is the church reformed in our dayes, another church than that … deformed in the dayes of our fore-fathers.
1867. Freeman, Norm. Conq., I. 642. Either that the Anlaf here spoken of was another person from Olaf Tryggvesson, or [etc.].
III. With one.
6. Contrasted explicitly with one. (In both prec. main senses, but especially II.) With or without sb. expressed.
a. Of two things from an indefinite number.
1297. R. Glouc., 379. A lond ygranted were To a man to bere þeruore a certeyn rente … And anoþer com & bode more.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. III. 256. A penyworth for an othre.
1528. Perkins, Profit. Bk., iv. § 295. The exchange … of one intire thing for an other intire thing.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., II. iv. 191. Euen as one heate, another heate expels, Or as one naile, by strength driues out another.
1713. Lond. & Country Brew., II. (1743), 114. One Man’s Mistake is another’s Gain.
1876. J. Parker, Paracl., II. xvii. 280. The infinity of God is one thing, and our knowledge of that infinity is another.
Provb. One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
b. Of two things only, when their mutual position is undefined. In this case the other is now commonly used.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., IX. i. (1495), 345. Passynge fro one ende to a nother.
1413. Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, V. xiii. (1483), 104. Sette full of saphyres fro one ende to another.
1590. Shaks., Com. Err., V. i. 425. Now let’s go hand in hand, not one before another.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 379. Apertion and opening of two vessels one into another.
1742. Richardson, Pamela, III. 320. Sir Jacob sat aghast, looking at one, and at another, and at me, each in Turn.
c. Of a series taken two by two.
1413. Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, III. v. (1483), 54. This bocher lepte fro one to another.
1490. Caxton, Eneydos, x. 39. Yolus made to come the foure windes to gyder one ayenst another.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, IV. i. 20. We must euery one be a man of his owne fancie, not to know what we speak one to another.
1673. Cave, Prim. Chr., III. ii. 281. Two or three stories one still under onother.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 8, ¶ 7. I plied her from one Room to another with all the Galantries I could invent.
1850. Maurice, Mor. & Met. Philos., I. iii. § 239. He taught it to one and another.
Mod. They marched in Indian file, one after another.
d. One with another: (a) added each to the others as they come; all together, all alike; (b) taken on the average, so that the excess of one supplies the deficiency of another.
1539. Bible (‘Great’), Ps. xlix. 2. High and Low, Rich and Poor, one with another.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., II. i. 118. He loves … both young and old, one with another.
1633. Howell, Lett. (1650), I. 350. This gravity, reservedness and tergiversations of his, have turned rather to his prejudice than advantage, take one with another.
1677. Yarranton, Eng. Improv., 27. It is not worth sixteen years Purchase all England over, one place with another.
Mod. Taken one with another, they may fetch thirty shillings a-head.
7. Hence, one another, as a compound reciprocal pronoun not separated by verb or prep. (Said of two or more). With poss. one another’s, but in this case each other’s is oftener used.
1526. Tindale, Gal. vi. 4. Beare ye one anothers burthen [Wyclif, others charges] and so fulfill the lawe of Christ.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., I. i. 257. When wee are married, and haue more occasion to know one another.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 506. These two Imparadis’t in one anothers arms.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 3, ¶ 5. Bags of Money were piled upon one another.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 400, ¶ 5. Such friendly Thoughts and Concerns for one another.
1756. Burke, Vind. Nat. Soc., Wks. I. 17. Such [actions] as tend to the destruction of one another.
Mod. ‘See how these Christians love one another!’
† IV. adv. (perhaps orig. neut. sing. of adj.)
† 8. A different thing; differently, otherwise. Obs.
c. 1205. Lay., 724. Ȝet ich ou sigge on oþer [1250 an oþer].
1297. R. Glouc., 444. Þo þe Kyng was ded hys vncle, anoþer he þoȝte do.
a. 1300. Havelok, 1395. Avelok thouthe al another.
c. 1300. Beket, 540. That he scholde another do.
