each other

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English ech other, yche othere, ich othir, eche other, ilk oþer, from Old English ǣlċ ōþer (“each other”), equivalent to each +‎ other. Cognate with Scots ilk other (“each other”), West Frisian elkoar (“each other”), Dutch elkander, elkaar (“each other”). === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /iːˈt͡ʃʌð.ə/ (US, Canada) IPA(key): /iˈt͡ʃʌð.ɚ/, /iˈt͡ʃʌ.ðɚ/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /iːˈt͡ʃað.ə/ === Pronoun === each other (reciprocal pronoun) To one another; one to the other; signifies that a verb applies to two or more entities both as subjects and as direct objects: ==== Usage notes ==== Some usage guides prescribe “each other” for two entities and “one another” for more than two. This distinction is not observed in practice. The Oxford English Dictionary describes the pronoun as referring to “two or more”; Fowler’s suggests that the distinction “is neither of present utility nor based on historical usage”. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage notes that “a few commentators believe the rule to be followed in ‘formal discourse’. This belief will not bear examination: Samuel Johnson’s discourse is perhaps the most formal that exists in English literature, and he has been cited in violation of the rule.” ==== Synonyms ==== one another ==== Derived terms ==== be in each other's pockets made for each other ==== Translations ==== === See also === mutual