“So fellest foes, whose plots have broke their sleep,
    To take the one the other, by some chance.”—­Shak.

OBS. 17.—­The Greek term for the reciprocals each other and one an other, is a certain plural derivative from [Greek:  allos], other; and is used in three cases, the genitive, [Greek:  allaelon], the dative, [Greek:  allaelois], the accusative, [Greek:  allaelous]:  these being all the cases which the nature of the expression admits; and for all these we commonly use the objective;—­that is, we put each or one before the objective other.  Now these English terms, taken in a reciprocal sense, seldom, if ever, have any plural form; because the article in one an other admits of none; and each other, when applied to two persons or things, (as it almost always is,) does not require any.  I have indeed seen, in some narrative, such an example as this:  “The two men were ready to cut each others’ throats.”  But the meaning could not be, that each was ready to cut “others’ throats;” and since, between the two, there was but one throat for each to cut, it would doubtless be more correct to say, “each other’s throat.”  So Burns, in touching a gentler passion, has an inaccurate elliptical expression: 

   “’Tis when a youthful, loving, modest pair,
    In others’ arms, breathe out the tender tale.”
        —­Cotter’s Sat.  Night.

He meant, “In each other’s arms;” the apostrophe being misplaced, and the metre improperly allowed to exclude a word which the sense requires.  Now, as to the plural of each other, although we do not use the objective, and say of many, “They love each others,” there appear to be some instances in which the possessive plural, each others’, would not be improper; as, “Sixteen ministers, who meet weekly at each other’s houses.”—­Johnson’s Life of Swift.  Here the singular is wrong, because the governing noun implies a plurality of owners.  “The citizens of different states should know each others characters.”—­Webster’s Essays, p. 35.  This also is wrong, because no possessive sign is used.  Either write, “each others’ characters,” or say, “one an other’s character.”

OBS. 18.—­One and other are, in many instances, terms relative and partitive, rather than reciprocal; and, in this use, there seems to be an occasional demand for the plural form.  In French, two parties are contrasted by les uns—­les autres; a mode of expression seldom, if ever imitated in English.  Thus:  “Il les separera les uns d’avec les autres.”  That is, “He shall separate them some from others;”—­or, literally, “the ones from the others.”  Our version is:  “He shall separate them one from an other.”—­Matt., xxv, 32.  Beza has it:  “Separabit eos