Either

How to spell either

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce either

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does either mean?

1. determinerOne or the other of two people or things.
2. conjunctionUsed before the first of two alternatives, paired with 'or'.
3. adverbUsed after a negative statement to add a further similar point.

Either in a sentence

• determiner

  You can park on either side of the street.

• conjunction

  We can either drive to the coast or take the early train.

• adverb

  She did not finish the project, and her partner did not either.

• determiner

  Either option would suit the budget perfectly well.

• conjunction

  The report must be either approved or returned by Friday.

• adverb

  The shop had no milk, and it had no bread either.

Where does either come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English word, descending from the Old English ǣgther (also written ǣghwæther), a contraction of a longer phrase meaning roughly 'each of two' or 'both'. It was built from ā 'ever' or 'always' combined with the word for 'whether', so the original idea was 'each of the two alike'. Over the medieval period the meaning narrowed from 'both' toward the modern sense of 'one or the other of two'. The spelling settled with the 'ei' cluster, which is why it pairs so neatly with its cousin 'neither' (literally 'not either'). The famous split in pronunciation, with some speakers saying 'EE-ther' and others 'EYE-ther', has nothing to do with the spelling, which has stayed remarkably stable for centuries.

How the word is built

• ei- (from Old English ǣg-, ever/each)
• -ther (of two, paired form as in 'whether')