each other

pronoun

1. each the other; one another (used as a compound reciprocal pronoun):

   to strike at each other; to hold each other's hands; to love each other.

each other

pronoun

1. used when the action, attribution, etc, is reciprocal

   furious with each other

Usage Note

Although some insist that each other be used only in reference to two ( The two candidates respected each other ) and one another in reference to three or more ( The three nations threaten one another ), in standard practice they are interchangeable. Each other is not restricted to two, nor is one another restricted to three or more. The possessive of each other is each other's; the possessive of one another is one another's.

Usage

Each other and one another are interchangeable in modern British usage

Word History and Origins

Origin of each other¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English. See each, other

Idioms and Phrases

Also, one another . Each one the other, one the other, as in The boys like each other , or The birds were fighting one another over the crumbs . Both of these phrases indicate a reciprocal relationship or action between the subjects preceding ( the boys, the birds ). Formerly, many authorities held that each other should be confined to a relationship between two subjects only and one another used when there are more than two. Today most do not subscribe to this distinction, which was never strictly observed anyway. [Late 1300s] Also see at each other's throats .

Example Sentences

Could the birds be learning from each other?

From Science Daily

This is the first experimental evidence to show the powerful impact that immigration has on how animals learn from each other.

From Science Daily

Ferromagnets -- which include the familiar bar magnets found on fridges or noticeboards -- contain electrons which interact with each other, each functioning as a tiny magnet to attract and repel, so that they all point in the same direction, giving the magnet its force.

From Science Daily

Because the ions are packed so closely together they are able to interact directly with each other, resulting in them reverting to magnetic order.

From Science Daily

"If a community is really active, then a constant turnover is taking place, and that means the 2 pools should be more similar to each other," he said.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• one