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other
/ˈɐðə/
When using 'other' to refer to one of two things, we usually use 'the other'. For example: "I have two pens; one is blue, the other is red." When talking about more than two things or people in general, we often use 'others' (as a pronoun) or 'other' followed by a plural noun. For example: "Some people like tea, others prefer coffee." Be careful not to confuse 'other' with 'another'. Use 'another' for one more of the same kind, and 'other' for something different or specific.
💬Casual Conversation
Contemplating if we should explore the other path for Q4. The current trajectory feels... limiting.
Sir, what 'other path' are you referring to? We just greenlit the budget.
Meanings
Examples
Look, just give me the other one, please!
Do you have any other options for this dress?
Wait, is there some other reason you're acting like this?
I can't find my other shoe anywhere!
Are there any other questions before I leave this room?
One of us stays, but the other has to go.
I'll take this bag and the other one too.
Is there some other way to fix this leak, seriously?
I think the other guy already took your seat.
Stop! There is an other exit right behind you!
Collocations & Compounds
every other day
Happening every second day; on alternate days.
some other time
At a different, unspecified future point.
the other way around
The opposite of the situation or order previously mentioned.
each other
Used to indicate that two or more people are doing the same thing to one another.
other than
Apart from; except for.
Idioms & Sayings
every other day
Happening every second day; alternating days.
on the other hand
Used to introduce a contrasting point of view or fact.
each other
Used to indicate that two or more people are doing the same thing to one another.
the other way around
The opposite of what has been stated or experienced.
in other words
Expressing the same idea in a different, often simpler, way.
Cultural Context
The idea of an 'other' self, a double or doppelgänger, has haunted human imagination for centuries, appearing in folklore, literature, and psychology. This concept often represents a shadowy, uncanny reflection of ourselves, a figure that embodies our hidden desires, fears, or a premonition of doom.
In German folklore, the doppelgänger was traditionally seen as a malevolent spirit, a ghostly twin who would stalk its living counterpart, often bringing misfortune or even death. Seeing one's own doppelgänger was a dire omen, a sign that one's life was in peril. This fear is deeply rooted in the human psyche's discomfort with the uncanny valley – that unsettling feeling we get when something is almost, but not quite, human or familiar.
Literature has extensively explored this theme. E.T.A. Hoffmann's 'The Devil's Elixirs' features a protagonist tormented by his own doppelgänger, blurring the lines between self and other, sanity and madness. Fyodor Dostoevsky, in 'The Double,' delves into the psychological disintegration of a man whose doppelgänger systematically usurps his life and identity. These narratives tap into our primal anxieties about identity and the fragility of the self.
Psychologically, the doppelgänger can be interpreted as a manifestation of repressed aspects of the personality or a projection of internal conflict. It's the part of us we refuse to acknowledge, the 'other' within that seeks expression. This duality highlights our complex inner lives, where the conscious self often battles with unconscious drives and desires. The doppelgänger, in essence, is the ultimate 'other' – the embodiment of everything we are, and yet, are not.