either

English Online Dictionary. What means either‎? What does either mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English either, from Old English ǣġhwæþer, from *aiwon + *gahwaþera. Akin to Old Saxon eogihwethar, iahwethar (Low German jeed); Old Dutch *iogewether, *iowether, *iother (Dutch ieder); Old High German eogihwedar, iegihweder, ieweder (German jeder).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ī′thər, ē′thər
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪ.ðə(ɹ)/, /ˈiː.ðə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ðɚ/, /ˈaɪ.ðɚ/
• Rhymes: -aɪðə(ɹ), -iːðə(ɹ)
• (obsolete (in use until the 20th c.)) enPR: ā′thə(r) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.ðə(ɹ)/
• In the UK, /aɪ/ is used more in Southern England, and /iː/ is more usual in Northern England. In North America, /iː/ is the most common, but /aɪ/ is predominant in some regions. Note that even if one pronunciation is more common in a region, the pronunciation used varies by individual speaker and sometimes by situation. /eɪ/ was once heard in Northern England, but has now largely fallen into disuse.

Determiner

either

1. Any one (of two).

   Coordinate terms: each; both

2. Each of two; both. [from 9th c.]
3. (often proscribed) Any one (of more than two).
   • Jonathan Swift (1726) Gulliver's Travels, 1st edition:

Usage notes

• When there are more than two alternatives, in the sense of “one of several” or “one of many”, any is now often used instead. Use of either with more than two (mutually exclusive) options remains common informally, but a usage prescription against it is so widely known that it is usually avoided formally. This fact about either […] or is likewise true of neither […] nor.

Translations

Pronoun

either

1. One or the other of two people or things.
2. (obsolete) Both, each of two or more.

Adverb

either (not comparable)

1. (conjunctive, after a negative) As well.

Usage notes

After a positive statement, too is commonly used: “I like him, and I like her too.”

Either is sometimes used, especially in North American English, where neither would be more traditionally accurate: “I’m not hungry.” “Me either.”

Translations

Conjunction

either

1. Introduces the first of two (or occasionally more) options or possibilities, the second (or last) of which is introduced by “or”.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

• neither
• nor
• or

References

• “either”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• Ethier, theire

Middle English

Alternative forms

• æȝþer, ethir, eiþer, outher

Etymology

From Old English ǣġþer, a contraction of ǣġhwæþer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæi̯ðər/, (less commonly) /ˈɛːðər/, (possibly) /ˈiːðər/
• (from unstressed forms) IPA^(key): /ˈɛðər/

Determiner

either

1. Both of two.
2. Each of two.
3. Either of two.

Descendants

• English: either
• Scots: aither

Pronoun

either

1. Both of two members of a group.
2. Each of two members of a group.
3. Either of two members of a group.

Descendants

• English: either
• Scots: aither

Adjective

either

1. Both, all, or any of a set.
2. Each of a group.

See also

• ayther

References

• “either, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-02-20.
• “either, conj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.