Otherworlds

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A realm or dimension that is distinct from the physical world; a place believed to exist in the spiritual or supernatural realm; an imagined or fictional universe often depicted in literature or mythology
2. A space or environment that lies beyond the normal realm of existence; a metaphysical location associated with divine or afterlife beings; an artistic or narrative world created outside of recognized reality
3. A domain that exists apart from the known world; a spiritual habitat populated with entities beyond human understanding; a fantastical setting often explored in fantasy or science fiction narratives

Etymology: "Otherworlds" is simply the plural of "otherworld," so the story belongs to its singular form. That compound comes from Old English "ōþer weoruld," made of "ōþer" (other) and "weoruld" (world, human age or existence), and it passed into Middle English as "othyr world" and "oþer world." The second element, "world," itself descends from an Old English word meaning a human lifetime or an age of men, a sense that survives in phrases like "all the world" and "in this world." The compound's logic is transparent: a realm set apart from the one people live in. Early English speakers used it in the same spirit that later writers would, for a place beyond ordinary experience. The plural form lets speakers refer to several such realms at once, as when discussing the many imagined dimensions of myth, religion, or fiction.