either
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Old English ǣġhwæþer, from Proto-Germanic, ultimately corresponding to ay + whether. Akin to Old Saxon eogihwethar, iahwethar; Old Dutch *iogewether, *iowether, *iother (Dutch ieder); Old High German eogihwedar, iegihweder, ieweder (German jeder).
Pronunciation [edit]
- enPR: ēth'ə(r), IPA: /ˈiːð.ə(ɹ)/, X-SAMPA: /"i:D.@(r\)/
- enPR: īth'ə(r), IPA: /ˈaɪð.ə(ɹ)/, X-SAMPA: /"aID.@(r\)/
- Rhymes: -aɪðə(ɹ)
Usage notes [edit]
In the UK the first pronunciation is generally used more in southern England, while the latter is more usual in northern England. However, this is an oversimplification, and the pronunciation used varies by individual speaker and sometimes by situation. The first pronunciation is the most common in the United States.
Determiner [edit]
either
- Each of two. [from 9th c.]
- 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber 2007, p. 31:
- Her hands, long and beautiful, lay on either side of her face.
- 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber 2007, p. 31:
- One or the other of two. [from 14th c.]
- 2006 December 5, Jackie Mason, quoted in “Mason drops lawsuit vs. Jews for Jesus”, USA Today:
- You can't be a table and a chair. You're either a Jew or a gentile.
- 2006 December 5, Jackie Mason, quoted in “Mason drops lawsuit vs. Jews for Jesus”, USA Today:
Synonyms [edit]
Translations [edit]
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Pronoun [edit]
either
- (obsolete) Both, each of two (people or things).
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VII:
- Than ayther departed to theire tentis and made hem redy to horsebacke as they thought beste.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.i:
- And either vowd with all their power and wit, / To let not others honour be defaste [...].
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VII:
- One or other of two people or things.
Adverb [edit]
either (not comparable)
- (conjunctive, after a negative) as well
- I don't like him and I don't like her either.
Usage notes [edit]
either is sometimes used, especially in North American English, where neither would be more traditionally accurate: "I'm not hungry." "Me either."
Synonyms [edit]
Translations [edit]
Conjunction [edit]
either
- Introduces the first of two options, the second of which is introduced by "or".
- Either you eat your dinner or you go to your room.
Translations [edit]
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Usage notes [edit]
- When there are more than two alternatives, "any" is used instead.
See also [edit]
Statistics [edit]
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Most common English words before 1923: girl · during · several · #333: either · whether · city · held
Anagrams [edit]
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English determiners
- English pronouns
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English adverbs
- English conjunctions
- English conjunctive adverbs
- English indefinite pronouns
- English words not following the I before E except after C rule
- English third person pronouns