NEITHER


Meaning of NEITHER in English

adj.

Pronunciation: ' n ē - th ə r also ' n ī -

Function: conjunction

Etymology: Middle English, alteration (influenced by either ) of nauther, nother, from Old English n ā hwæther, n ō ther, from n ā , n ō not + hwæther which of two, whether

Date: 12th century

1 : not either < neither black nor white>

2 : also not < neither did I>

usage Although use with or is neither archaic nor wrong, neither is usually followed by nor. A few commentators think that neither must be limited in reference to two, but reference to more than two has been quite common since the 17th century <rigid enforcement of antique decorum will help neither language, literature, nor literati ― James Sledd>.

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.