each
each Lexical Profile
each Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Used before a singular countable noun to refer to every one of two or more people or things in a group, considered separately and individually.
"The instructor handed out a syllabus to each student on the first day of class."
• pronoun
Every one of two or more people or things, regarded and identified separately.
"She carefully examined the paintings and found that each had its own unique charm."
• adverb
To, for, or by every individual person, item, or unit in a group; apiece.
"The freshly baked pastries cost three dollars each at the local bakery."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'each' and 'every' are often interchangeable, 'each' can be used for a group of just two or more items and emphasizes the individual members separately, whereas 'every' requires three or more items and views them collectively. As a pronoun or determiner, 'each' takes a singular verb (e.g., 'Each of the students has a book'), unless it directly follows a plural subject (e.g., 'They each have a book').
• Rhymes for each
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'ǣlc', a contraction of Proto-Germanic '*aiwō' (meaning 'always' or 'ever') and '*galīkaz' (meaning 'alike'), literally translating to 'ever-like'.