From Middle English either, from Old English ǣġhwæþer, from Proto-West Germanic *aiw + *gahwaþar. Akin to Old Saxon eogihwethar, iahwethar (Low German jeed); Old Dutch *iogewether, *iowether, *iother (Dutch ieder); Old High German eogihwedar, iegihweder, ieweder (German jeder).
The pronunciations with /iː/ and /eɪ/ respectively reflect Middle English forms in /ɛː/ and /æi/; the origin of that with /aɪ/ is less clear, but it may reflect a Middle English form with /iː/; see Middle English either for more discussion.
Meanings
(after a negative, conjunctive, not-comparable) As well.
But Richmond[…]appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw[…]that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either. 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
I know a cheap Spanish restaurant. It's not far from here, either.
I don't like him, and I don't like her either.
Translations (35)
pam rinmo ((after a negative) as well) · de auch ((after a negative) as well) · ga ach oiread ((after a negative) as well) · el ούτε ((after a negative) as well) · hu sem ((after a negative) as well) · sv heller ((after a negative) as well) · fr non plus ((after a negative) as well) · fi -kaan ((after a negative) as well) · et samuti ((after a negative) as well) · pt também não ((after a negative) as well) · uk тако́ж ((after a negative) as well) · fi myöskään ((after a negative) as well) · pam murin ((after a negative) as well) · ar كَذٰلِكَ ((after a negative) as well) · it neanche ((after a negative) as well) · fi -kään ((after a negative) as well) · it nemmeno ((after a negative) as well) · ar أَيْضًا ((after a negative) as well) · cy chwaith ((after a negative) as well) · ro nici ((after a negative) as well) · de ebenso ((after a negative) as well) · da heller ((after a negative) as well) · cmn 也不 ((after a negative) as well) · no heller ((after a negative) as well) · ru та́кже не ((after a negative) as well) · pam edi...rin ((after a negative) as well) · pl też nie ((after a negative) as well) · it neppure ((after a negative) as well) · pam rin ((after a negative) as well) · bg също ((after a negative) as well) · ca tampoc ((after a negative) as well) · pt tampouco ((after a negative) as well) · es tampoco ((after a negative) as well) · de ebenfalls ((after a negative) as well) · nl ook (niet) ((after a negative) as well)
either en · CCONJ
Pronunciation
ā′thər
/ˈeɪ.ðə(ɹ)/ (Northern-England, rare) in use until the 20th c.
From Middle English either, from Old English ǣġhwæþer, from Proto-West Germanic *aiw + *gahwaþar. Akin to Old Saxon eogihwethar, iahwethar (Low German jeed); Old Dutch *iogewether, *iowether, *iother (Dutch ieder); Old High German eogihwedar, iegihweder, ieweder (German jeder).
The pronunciations with /iː/ and /eɪ/ respectively reflect Middle English forms in /ɛː/ and /æi/; the origin of that with /aɪ/ is less clear, but it may reflect a Middle English form with /iː/; see Middle English either for more discussion.
Meanings
Introduces the first of two (or occasionally more) options or possibilities, the second (or last) of which is introduced by “or”.
Either you'll finish your homework or you'll be grounded.
You can't be a table and a chair. You're either a Jew or a gentile. 2006 December 5, Jackie Mason, quotee, “Mason drops lawsuit vs. Jews for Jesus”, in USA Today:
You'll be either early, late, or on time.
Either you eat your dinner or you go to your room.
You can have either potatoes or rice with that, but not both.
Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language[…]his clerks[…]understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there. 1893, Walter Besant, “Prologue”, in The Ivory Gate:
Deriveds
either-handed (terms derived from all parts of speech) · either do or die (terms derived from all parts of speech) · either … or (terms derived from all parts of speech) · either-or (terms derived from all parts of speech) · me either (terms derived from all parts of speech) · either way (terms derived from all parts of speech) · either-either (terms derived from all parts of speech) · either-way offence (terms derived from all parts of speech)
got 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌶𐌿𐌷 (introduces the first of two options) · fo antin (introduces the first of two options) · cs buď ... anebo (introduces the first of two options) · be альбо́ ... альбо́ (introduces the first of two options) · pl bądź (introduces the first of two options) · de entweder ... oder (introduces the first of two options) · pt ou ... ou (introduces the first of two options) · pl albo... albo... (introduces the first of two options) · nb enten (introduces the first of two options) · es o bien... o bien (introduces the first of two options) · pam ...man...man (introduces the first of two options) · es bien... o (introduces the first of two options) · ko ...든 ...든 (introduces the first of two options) · pam ...mo...mo (introduces the first of two options) · fr soit (introduces the first of two options) · it oppure (introduces the first of two options) · vi hoặc … hoặc (introduces the first of two options) · gd an dara cuid (introduces the first of two options) · pam ...ya...ya (introduces the first of two options) · pam o (introduces the first of two options) · es o... o (introduces the first of two options) · es bien... bien (introduces the first of two options) · nl of (introduces the first of two options) · bg или ... или (introduces the first of two options) · cs buď ... nebo (introduces the first of two options) · cmn 或者……或者…… (introduces the first of two options) · grc εἴτε ... εἴτε (introduces the first of two options) · id antara ... atau (introduces the first of two options) · tr ya ... ya da (introduces the first of two options) · be або́ ... або́ (introduces the first of two options) · ar إِمَّا ... إِمَّا (introduces the first of two options) · fa یا (introduces the first of two options) · it o (introduces the first of two options) · cy naill ai … neu (introduces the first of two options) · nl hetzij (introduces the first of two options) · sv antingen...eller (introduces the first of two options) · es ahora... ahora (introduces the first of two options) · yue 一係……一係…… /一系……一系…… (introduces the first of two options) · es ya sea... o (introduces the first of two options) · fi joko tai (introduces the first of two options) · hit 𒈾𒀸𒋗 … 𒈾𒀸𒈠 (introduces the first of two options) · nn anten (introduces the first of two options) · eo ĉu (introduces the first of two options) · scn o...o puru (introduces the first of two options) · fr soit ... ou (introduces the first of two options) · sk buď...alebo... (introduces the first of two options) · ru ли́бо ... ли́бо (introduces the first of two options) · gd aon chuid (introduces the first of two options) · de entweder (introduces the first of two options) · be ці ... ці (introduces the first of two options) · es ora... ora (introduces the first of two options) · scn o ... o (introduces the first of two options) · pam ...ka...ka (introduces the first of two options) · ja …か…か (introduces the first of two options) · nn enten (introduces the first of two options) · es ya... ya (introduces the first of two options) · el είτε ... είτε (introduces the first of two options) · fr ou (introduces the first of two options) · arz يا اما... يا (introduces the first of two options) · ru и́ли ... и́ли (introduces the first of two options) · bg нито ... нито (introduces the first of two options) · grc ἤτοι ... ἤ (introduces the first of two options) · hu vagy...vagy... (introduces the first of two options) · fi joko (introduces the first of two options) · arz اما ...أو (introduces the first of two options) · nl ofwel (introduces the first of two options) · ang oþþe (introduces the first of two options) · cmn 要麼……要麼…… /要么……要么…… (introduces the first of two options) · tr ya ... ya (introduces the first of two options) · es siquiera... siquiera (introduces the first of two options) · la aut ... aut (introduces the first of two options) · is annaðhvort (introduces the first of two options) · uk або́ ... або́ (introduces the first of two options) · pl ani ... ani... (introduces the first of two options) · et kas (introduces the first of two options) · sco ither (introduces the first of two options) · kok एका...कि (introduces the first of two options) · ko ...든지 ...든지 (introduces the first of two options)
either en · DET
Pronunciation
ā′thər
/ˈeɪ.ðə(ɹ)/ (Northern-England, rare) in use until the 20th c.
From Middle English either, from Old English ǣġhwæþer, from Proto-West Germanic *aiw + *gahwaþar. Akin to Old Saxon eogihwethar, iahwethar (Low German jeed); Old Dutch *iogewether, *iowether, *iother (Dutch ieder); Old High German eogihwedar, iegihweder, ieweder (German jeder).
The pronunciations with /iː/ and /eɪ/ respectively reflect Middle English forms in /ɛː/ and /æi/; the origin of that with /aɪ/ is less clear, but it may reflect a Middle English form with /iː/; see Middle English either for more discussion.
Meanings
Any one (of two).
You can have it in either colour.
Each of two; both.
There is a locomotive at either end of the train, one pulling and the other pushing.
Her hands, long and beautiful, lay on either side of her face. 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber, published 2007, page 31:
His flowing hair
In curls on either cheek played. 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
There are roses on either side of the garden.
(often, proscribed) Any one (of more than two).
They entreat, they pray, they beg, they supplicate (will either of these do, Miss Clary?) that you will make no scruple to go to your uncle Antony's […]. 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LI”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC:
I hope you will be ready to own publicly, whenever you shall be called to it, that by your great and frequent urgency you prevailed on me to publish a very loose and uncorrect account of my travels, with directions to hire some young gentleman of either university to put them in order, and correct the style, as my cousin Dampier did, by my advice, in his book called “A Voyage round the world.” Jonathan Swift (1726), Gulliver's Travels, 1st edition
eo ambaŭ (each of two) · pt qualquer um (each of two) · fi kumpikin (each of two) · de beide (each of two) · ru ка́ждый (each of two) · fi molemmat (each of two) · pl oba (each of two) · et mõlemad (each of two) · el είτε (each of two) · it ciascuno (each of two) · nl beide (each of two) · da begge (each of two) · ro fiecare (each of two) · scn tutt'e dui (each of two) · sv bägge (each of two) · hu vagy (each of two) · pt ambos (each of two) · es cada (each of two) · ps دواړه (each of two) · it entrambi (each of two) · it ogni (each of two) · fr l'un ou l'autre (each of two) · fr chaque (each of two) · fr les deux (each of two) · bg всеки (each of two) · nb begge (each of two) · la alteruter (each of two) · uk ко́жен (each of two) · ro amândoi (each of two) · sv båda (each of two)
either en · PRON
Pronunciation
ā′thər
/ˈeɪ.ðə(ɹ)/ (Northern-England, rare) in use until the 20th c.
From Middle English either, from Old English ǣġhwæþer, from Proto-West Germanic *aiw + *gahwaþar. Akin to Old Saxon eogihwethar, iahwethar (Low German jeed); Old Dutch *iogewether, *iowether, *iother (Dutch ieder); Old High German eogihwedar, iegihweder, ieweder (German jeder).
The pronunciations with /iː/ and /eɪ/ respectively reflect Middle English forms in /ɛː/ and /æi/; the origin of that with /aɪ/ is less clear, but it may reflect a Middle English form with /iː/; see Middle English either for more discussion.
Meanings
One or the other of two people or things.
He made me two offers, but I did not accept either.
Hodgson may now have to bring in James Milner on the left and, on that basis, a certain amount of gloss was taken off a night on which Welbeck scored twice but barely celebrated either before leaving the pitch angrily complaining to the Slovakian referee. 2013 September 7, Daniel Taylor, “Danny Welbeck leads England's rout of Moldova but hit by Ukraine ban”, in The Guardian:
(obsolete) Both, each of two or more.
Scarce a palm of ground could be gotten by either of the three. a. 1627 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “Considerations Touching a Warre with Spaine. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany Works of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. […], London: […] I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, […], published 1629, →OCLC:
There have been three famous talkers in Great British, either of whom would illustrate what I say about dogmatists. 1872, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., The Poet at the Breakfast-Table:
And either vowd with all their power and wit, / To let not others honour be defaste […] 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC: