eljest

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish ællæghis, from Proto-Germanic *aljas (genitive of *aljaz), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos. Cognate with English else.

Adverb

eljest

1. (dated) or else, otherwise

   Synonym: annars

   eljest vore vi alla dömda

   otherwise we'd all be doomed

2. (dialectal, Northern Sweden) strange, different, eccentric

Usage notes

• Recommendations against the use of this word in legal prose, together with suggested replacements, are found in Svarta listan : Ord och fraser som kan ersättas i författningsspråk (4th ed., 2011), published by the government of Sweden. The recommendations apply primarily to governmental texts; they may or may not apply to other legal prose.