eitherei"ther, conj.
either precedes two, or more, co?rdinate
words or phrases,
and is
introductory to an alternative. it is
correlative to or.
either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or
peradventure he sleepeth. i. 27.
few writers hesitate to
use either in
what is
called a
triple alternative;
such as, we
must either stay where we are, proceed, or recede.note:
either was formerly sometimes used without any correlation,
and where we
should now use or.
can the fig tree, my brethren,
bear olive berries?
either a vine, figs?? 12.
either ei"ther (?; 277), a. & pron. [oe. either, aither, as. &?;g&?;er, &?;ghw?&?;er (akin to ohg. &?;ogiwedar, mhg. iegeweder); ā + ge + hw?&?;er whether.
see each,
and whether,
and cf. or, conj.]
1. one of two;
the one or
the other; --
properly used of
two things,
but sometimes of a
larger number,
for any one. lepidus
flatters both, of
both is flattered;
but he
neither loves,
nor either cares for him.
scarce a
palm of
ground could be
gotten by
either of
the three.
there have been three talkers in
great british,
either of
whom would illustrate what i
say about dogmatists. olmes.
2. each of two;
the one and the other; both; -- formerly, also,
each of
any number.
his flowing hair in
curls on
either cheek played. on
either side was there the tree of life. xxii. 2.
the extreme right and left of
either army never engaged. (thucyd).
(
conj. Either)
precedes two, or more,
coordinate words or phrases,
and is
introductory to an alternative. It is
correlative to or. Â
(
a. & pron.)
One of two;
the one or
the other; --
properly used of
two things,
but sometimes of a
larger number,
for any one. Â
(
a. & pron.)
Each of two;
the one and the other; both; -- formerly, also,
each of
any number. Â
Adverb1.
after a
negative statement used as an
intensive meaning something like `likewise' or `also'; "he
isn't stupid,
but he
isn't exactly a
genius either"; "I
don't know either"; "if
you don't order dessert I
won't either"
Ai = ad. is it, conj. comp. or, either
Naill = a.
one or other, one; conj. either, other
Ne = n. a
state of going; a hue, conj. or, otherwise, either
www.interactiveselfstudy.com
conj. pagh
Either is an English pronoun, adjective, and conjunction, meaning one, or the other, of two. Its origin is from Old EnglishÂ
ǽghweþer,
which literally analyses as a compound word "any - whether."
