Neither
determinerNot the one nor the other of two people or things; used to introduce the first of two negative alternatives.
How to spell neither
7 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce neither
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does neither mean?
- determinerNot the one nor the other of two people or things; used to introduce the first of two negative alternatives.
Neither in a sentence
-
Neither candidate had the experience the board was looking for.
-
Neither of the two flights left on time.
Where does neither come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This is a native English word, and its tangled spelling is a direct result of its long history. It descends from the Old English nahwæther or nawther, which was built from ne, meaning 'not', joined to hwæther, meaning 'which of two'. The literal sense was therefore 'not either of two', exactly the meaning it still carries today. Over the medieval centuries the word was reshaped to mirror its positive partner 'either', which is why the two share that troublesome 'ei' cluster. The spelling never settled on a single pronunciation either, so British speakers tend to say it with a long 'eye' sound while many North American speakers say it with a long 'ee', yet both write the same 'ei' on the page. That fixed 'ei' makes it one of the famous exceptions to the 'i before e' rule.
How the word is built
- ne- (not)
- -ither (from Old English hwæther: which of two), reshaped to match 'either'
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