each
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English eche, from Old English ǣlċ, contraction of ǣġhwelċ, from Proto-West Germanic *aiwgahwalīk (“each, every”). Compare Scots ilk, elk (“each, every”), Saterland Frisian älk (“each”), West Frisian elk, elts (“each”), Dutch elk (“each”), Low German elk, ellik (“each”), German Low German elk, elke (“each, every”), German jeglich (“any”).
Determiner
each
- All; every; qualifying a singular noun, indicating all examples of the thing so named seen as individual or separate items (compare every).
- Make sure you wash each bowl well.
- The sun comes up each morning and sets each night.
- 2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34:
- Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.
Usage notes
- (all, every): The phrase beginning with each identifies a set of items wherein the words following each identify the individual elements by their shared characteristics. The phrase is grammatically singular in number, so if the phrase is the subject of a sentence, its verb is conjugated into a third-person singular form. Similarly, any pronouns that refer to the noun phrase are singular:
- Each candidate has 49 votes.
- Each voter must decide for herself.
Related terms
Translations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Adverb
each (not comparable)
- For one; apiece; per.
- The apples cost 50 cents each.
- Individually; separately; used in a sentence with a plural subject to indicate that the action or state described by the verb applies to all members of the described group individually, rather than collectively to the entire group.
- We ordered half a chicken each, but we each got a whole one.
- You are each right in a different way.
- There are three of us and we have five dollars each, so that means we've got 15 dollars.
Translations
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Pronoun
each
- Every one/thing individually or one by one.
- I'm going to give each of you a chance to win.
- From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.
Noun
each (plural eaches)
- (operations, philosophy) An individual item: the least quantitative unit in a grouping.
- 2007, David E. Mulcahy, Eaches or Pieces Order Fulfillment, Design, and Operations Handbook (Series on resource management), Auerbach Publications, →ISBN, page 385:
- An each, piece, single item, or individual item package.
- 2008, Frederick Neuhouser, Rousseau's theodicy of self-love, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 238:
- Amour-propre would be able to take an interest in assuming the standpoint of reason, then, if applying 'each' to oneself in rational deliberation were simultaneously bound up with publicly establishing oneself as an 'each'
Derived terms
See also
References
- “each, adj. and pron.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2022.
Irish
Etymology
PIE word |
---|
*h₁éḱwos |
From Old Irish ech,[1] from Proto-Celtic *ekʷos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos (“horse”).
Declension
Synonyms
Derived terms
- eachmairt
- eachra
- giolla eich (“horse-boy”)
Mutation
Irish mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Radical | Eclipsis | with h-prothesis | with t-prothesis |
each | n-each | heach | t-each |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
References
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “ech”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22
- Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 62
Further reading
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “eaċ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 272
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “each”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Scottish Gaelic

Etymology
PIE word |
---|
*h₁éḱwos |
From Old Irish ech, from Primitive Irish *ᚓᚊᚐᚄ (*eqas), from Proto-Celtic *ekʷos. Cognates include Irish each and Manx agh.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɛx/, [ɛəx]
- Hyphenation: each
Noun
each m (genitive singular eich, plural eich)
- horse (Equus caballus)
- tha an t-each na throtan ― the horse is trotting
- air muin eich ― on horseback
- Cò air a tha sibh a' bruidhinn? – Tha sinn a' bruidhinn air eich!
- Who/what are you talking about? – None of your business!
- (literally, “We are talking about horses”)
- (dated) brute (coarse person)
Declension
Indefinite | ||
---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | each | eich |
Genitive | eich | each |
Dative | each | eich; eachaibh* |
Definite | ||
Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | (an) t-each | (na) h-eich |
Genitive | (an) eich | (nan) each |
Dative | (an) each | (na) h-eich; h-eachaibh* |
Vocative | (a) eich | (a) eacha |
*obsolete form, was used until the 19th century
Derived terms
Mutation
Scottish Gaelic mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Radical | Eclipsis | with h-prothesis | with t-prothesis |
each | n-each | h-each | t-each |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
References
- Edward Dwelly (1911) “each”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
- Colin Mark (2003) “each”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 253
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “ech”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
West Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian āge, from Proto-Germanic *augô, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ- (“eye; to see”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪə̯x/
Further reading
- “each (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011