whole nother
Featured
Fossil Word
March 27, 2025
Fossil Word
Nother is legitimate word dating to the 14th century with meaning similar to other or another, often used in negative 'no nother' vs 'no other'. Today it is a fossil word meaning it exists only in the phrase 'whole nother' Many think of as new and mash up of 'another' and 'a whole other' emphasizing something is completely different.
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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