Etimology
Inherited from Middle English every, everich, eaver-euch, averiche, aver alche, ever ælche, from Old English ǣfre ǣlċ, ǣfre ǣġhwelċ (“each and every”). By surface analysis, ever + each or ever + which.
determiner
every
All of a countable group (considered individually), without exception.
Denotes equal spacing at a stated interval, or a proportion corresponding to such a spacing.
(with certain nouns) Denotes an abundance of something.
Examples
Every person in the room stood and cheered.
At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors. […] In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.
Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.
Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.
We stopped for refreshments every ten miles.
The alarm is going off every few minutes.
Every third bead was red, and the rest were blue. The sequence was thus red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue etc.
Decimation originally meant the execution of every tenth soldier in a unit; that is, ten per cent of soldiers were killed.
We wish you every happiness in the future.
I have every confidence in him.
There is every reason why we should not go.
The police will make every effort to trace the missing girl.
Related words
synonyms
each
antonyms
no
none