Either
Pronunciation
- enPR: īth′ə(r), IPA: /ˈaɪð.ə(ɹ)/
- Rhymes: -aɪðə(ɹ)
- enPR: Ä“th′ə(r), IPA: /ˈiËð.É™(ɹ)/
- Rhymes: -iËðə(ɹ)
Origin
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).
Usage notes
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.
Full definition of either
Determiner
- Each of two. from 9th c.
- John Milton (1608-1674)His flowing hair
In curls on either cheek played. - 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber 2007, page 31:Her hands, long and beautiful, lay on either side of her face.
- One or the other of two. from 14th c.
- 2006, December 5, Mason drops lawsuit vs. Jews for Jesus, You can't be a table and a chair. You're either a Jew or a gentile.
- (coordinating) Used before two or more not necessarily exclusive possibilities separated by "or" or sometimes by a comma.You'll either be early, late, or on time.
- 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate Chapter Prologue, 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.
Pronoun
either
- (obsolete) Both, each of two or more.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book VII:Than ayther departed to theire tentis and made hem redy to horsebacke as they thought beste.
- Francis Bacon (1561-1626)Scarce a palm of ground could be gotten by either of the three.
- Spenser Faerie Queene, III.i:And either vowd with all their power and wit,
To let not others honour be defaste ... - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809-1894)There have been three talkers in Great British, either of whom would illustrate what I say about dogmatists.
- One or other of two people or things.
- 2013, Daniel Taylor, Danny Welbeck leads England's rout of Moldova but hit by Ukraine ban (in The Guardian, 6 September 2013)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.
Adverb
either
- (conjunctive, after a negative) as wellI don't like him and I don't like her either.
Usage notes
either is sometimes used, especially in North American English, where neither would be more traditionally accurate: "I'm not hungry." "Me either."
Conjunction
- 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.
Usage notes
When there are more than two alternatives, "any" is used instead.