other than


additional or further: he and one other person.
former; earlier: sailing ships of other days.
not long past: the other night.
the other one: Each praises the other.
every other, every alternate: a meeting every other week.


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World English Dictionary
other (ˈʌðə)
3.  additional; further: there are no other possibilities
5.  other than
 b.  Archaic form: other from different from: he couldn't be other than what he is
6.  archaic no other nothing else: I can do no other
7.  (preceded by a phrase or word with some) or other used to add vagueness to the preceding pronoun, noun, noun phrase, or adverb: some dog or other bit him; he's somewhere or other
8.  other things being equal conditions being the same or unchanged
9.  the other day a few days ago
10.  the other thing an unexpressed alternative
11.  another: show me one other
13.  (plural) other people or things
15.  (plural) each other See also one another different ones (from those specified or understood): they'd rather have others, not these

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

O.E. oþer "the second, one of the two, other," from P.Gmc. *antharaz (cf. O.S. athar, O.N. annarr, Ger. ander, Goth. anþar "other"), from PIE *an-tero-, variant of *al-tero- "the other of two" (cf. Lith. antras, Skt. antarah "other, foreign," L. alter), from base *al- "beyond" + adj. comp.
suffix *-tero-. Sense of "second" was detached from this word in Eng. (which uses second, from L.) and Ger. (zweiter, from zwei "two") to avoid ambiguity. In Scand., however, the second floor is still the "other" floor (cf. Swed. andra, Dan. anden). Phrase other world "world of idealism or fantasy, afterlife, spirit-land" is c.1200; hence otherworldliness (c.1834). The other woman "a woman with whom a man begins a love affair while he is already committed" is from 1855. The other day originally (1154) was "the next day;" later (c.1300) "yesterday;" and now, loosely, "a day or two ago" (1421). Phrase other half in reference to either the poor or the rich, is recorded from 1607.
"La moitié du monde ne sçayt comment l'aultre vit." [Rabelais, "Pantagruel," 1532]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

other than

  1. Different from, besides, as in They were shocked to find she has a lover other than her husband. [1250]

  2. In a different manner than; otherwise than, as in How could she be other than happy with the new house? [Late 1800s]

  3. other than that. Except that, as in Other than that the nearest store was five miles away, it was a perfect location.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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