Etymologically
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either

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈaɪ.ðə/, /ˈiː.ðə/, US /ˈiː.ðɚ/, /ˈaɪ.ðɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English either (also aither), inherited from Old English ǣgþer (“each of two, both”),[2][3][4] a contraction of ǣghwæþer,[2][3][5] formed from ā (“always”), the collective prefix ge- and hwæþer (“which of two”),[2][3][6] so that Hoad explains it as “ever each of two”.[7] It is related to aye and whether,[8][7] and to German jeder (“each, every”) and Dutch ieder.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Each of two, both: Old English ǣgþer, before 900, in Alfred's translation of Orosius.[3]

Semantic evolution

The form either appears probably about 1175, still meaning “both, every”.[3] The modern sense “one or the other of two” arose about 1290[3] or in the late 13th century,[2][7] and has prevailed, though on either side keeps the old meaning.[3][9] The conjunction either ... or is from about 1250,[3] and the emphatic adverb after a negative, as in I don't either, from the 15th century[10] or, in Etymonline's dating, by 1828.[2] Either-or, for an unavoidable choice, is from 1931, and partly reflects Kierkegaard's book Enten-Eller (1843).[2]

Timeline

  • before 900 – Old English ǣgþer (Alfred).[3]
  • c. 1175 – either, both.[3]
  • c. 1250 – either ... or.[3]
  • c. 1290 – one or the other.[3]
  • 15th century – adverb.[10]
  • 1931 – either-or.[2]

Modern meaning

Determiner

  1. One or the other of two.
  2. Each of two; both: trees on either side.

Pronoun

  1. The one or the other.

Conjunction

  1. Used before the first of two or more alternatives linked by or.

Adverb

  1. Likewise, also; used after a negative statement.

Word family

  • either-or

Usage notes

The traditional rule, as the American Heritage Dictionary notes, limits either to one of two and requires any for more than two, though reputable writers have often broken it.[9] In British English, the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary notes that /ˈiː.ðə/ seems to be gaining ground among younger speakers.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  10. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster