What does each mean?
"Each" is a fundamental English determiner and pronoun used to single out the individual members of a group, treating them one at a time rather than collectively. It appears in three main roles: before a singular noun ("each answer was correct"), standing alone as a pronoun ("each received a prize"), and after amounts or prices as an adverb ("the shirts cost twenty dollars each"). Grammatically, "each" normally takes a singular verb in careful written English, even when followed by "of" plus a plural noun, though conversational speech frequently relaxes this rule. The word carries a tone of precision and attention to detail — it insists on the separateness of things that "every" or "all" might blur together. Derived from Old English "ǣlc," itself a fusion of words meaning "always" and "alike," it is among the oldest function words in the language and remains indispensable for clear enumeration.
Referring to every individual member of a group, considered one at a time and separately.
"Each house on the street had a different color door."
Takes a singular noun and, in formal grammar, a singular verb.
Every one of two or more people or things, viewed individually.
"Two candidates were shortlisted, and each was interviewed twice."
For, to, or by every one of a group individually; apiece.
"The concert tickets were eighty dollars each."
"Each" hides a tiny time capsule: it began as two Old English words smashed together — "always" plus "alike" — so literally an "ever-alike" one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of each
"Each" descends from Old English "ǣlc," a compound formed from "ā" (meaning "ever, always") and "gelīc" ("alike"), so the original sense was roughly an "ever-alike" or perpetually identical one. This Old English form has direct relatives in continental Germanic languages, such as Dutch "iegelijk." More distantly, the first element traces back to the Proto-Germanic root *aiw-, meaning "eternity" or "vital force," which also gave English words like "aye," "ever," "age," and "eon." The word has remained remarkably stable in form and meaning for over a thousand years.
How each is actually used
In formal usage, "each" takes a singular verb ("each of the players has a locker"), though informal English often uses plural agreement. When "each" follows a plural subject as an adverb, the verb remains plural ("They cost ten dollars each"). "Each" emphasizes individuals within a group, while "every" treats the group more collectively.
Easily confused with each
"Etch" is a verb meaning to engrave or carve into a surface, whereas "each" is a determiner or pronoun referring to individual members of a group.