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either

   Also found in: Legal, Idioms, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
ei·ther  (r, r)
pron.
The one or the other: Which movie do you want to see? Either will be fine.
conj.
Used before the first of two or more coordinates or clauses linked by or: Either we go now or we remain here forever.
adj.
1. Any one of two; one or the other: Wear either coat.
2. One and the other; each: rings on either hand.
adv.
Likewise; also. Used as an intensive following negative statements: If you don't order a dessert, I won't either.

[Middle English, from Old English ther, ghwæther; see kwo- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: The traditional rule holds that either should be used only to refer to one of two items and that any is required when more than two items are involved: Any (not either) of the three opposition candidates still in the race would make a better president than the incumbent. But reputable writers have often violated this rule, and in any case it applies only to the use of either as a pronoun or an adjective. When either is used as a conjunction, no paraphrase with any is available, and so either is unexceptionable even when it applies to more than two clauses: Either the union will make a counteroffer or the original bid will be refused by the board or the deal will go ahead as scheduled. · In either ... or constructions, the two conjunctions should be followed by parallel elements. The following is regarded as incorrect: You may either have the ring or the bracelet (properly, You may have either the ring or the bracelet). The following is also incorrect: She can take either the examination offered to all applicants or ask for a personal interview (properly, She can either take ... ). · When used as a pronoun, either is singular and takes a singular verb: The two left-wing parties disagree with each other more than either does (not do) with the Right. When followed by of and a plural noun, either is often used with a plural verb: Either of the parties have enough support to form a government. But this usage is widely regarded as incorrect; in an earlier survey it was rejected by 92 percent of the Usage Panel. · When all the elements in an either ... or construction (or a neither ... nor construction) used as the subject of a sentence are singular, the verb is singular: Either Eve or Herb has been invited. Analogously, when all the elements in the either ... or construction are plural, the verb is plural too: Either the Clarks or the Kays have been invited. When the construction mixes singular and plural elements, however, there is some confusion as to which form the verb should take. It has sometimes been suggested that the verb should agree with whichever noun phrase is closest to it; thus one would write Either Eve or the Kays have been invited, but Either the Kays or Eve has been invited. This pattern is accepted by 54 percent of the Usage Panel. Others have maintained that the construction is fundamentally inconsistent whichever number is assigned to the verb and that such sentences should be rewritten accordingly. See Usage Notes at every, neither, or1, they.

either [ˈaɪðə ˈiːðə]
determiner
1.
a.  one or the other (of two) either coat will do
b.  (as pronoun) either is acceptable
2. both one and the other there were ladies at either end of the table
3. (coordinating) used preceding two or more possibilities joined by ``or'' you may have either cheese or a sweet
adv (sentence modifier)
(used with a negative) used to indicate that the clause immediately preceding is a partial reiteration of a previous clause John isn't a liar, but he isn't exactly honest either
[Old English ǣgther, short for ǣghwæther each of two; related to Old Frisian ēider, Old High German ēogihweder; see each, whether]
Usage: Either is followed by a singular verb in good usage: either is good; either of these books is useful. Care should be taken to avoid ambiguity when using either to mean both or each, as in the following sentence: a ship could be moored on either side of the channel. Agreement between the verb and its subject in either…or… constructions follows the pattern given for neither…nor… See at neither
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adv.1.either - 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"
Translations
either [ˈaɪðəʳ]
A. ADJ
1. (= one or other) (positive) → cualquiera de los dos; (negative) → ninguno de los dos
either day would suit mecualquiera de los dos días me viene bien
I don't like either bookno me gusta ninguno de los dos libros
you can do it either waypuedes hacerlo de este modo o del otro
2. (= each) → cada
in either handen cada mano
on either side of the roada ambos lados de la carretera
B. PRON (positive) → cualquiera de los dos; (negative) → ninguno de los dos
"which bus will you take?" - "either"-¿qué autobús vas a coger? -cualquiera de los dos
give it to either of themdáselo a cualquiera de los dos
either of uscualquiera de nosotros
I don't want either of themno quiero ninguno de los dos
I don't like either of themno me gusta ninguno de los dos
C. CONJ either ... oro ... o
either come in or stay outo entra o quédate fuera
I have never been to either Paris or Romeno he estado nunca ni en París ni en Roma
you can have either ice cream or yoghurtpuedes tomar o helado o yogur
D. ADVtampoco
he can't sing eithertampoco sabe cantar
no, I haven't eitherno, yo tampoco
I don't like milk and I don't like eggs eitherno me gusta la leche y tampoco me gustan los huevos

either [ˈaɪðər ˈiːðər]
adj
(= one or other) → l'un ou l'autre
(= both, each) → chaque
on either side → de chaque côté
at either end → à chaque extrémité
in either case → dans les deux cas
pronl'un ou l'autre
either of them → l'un ou l'autre, n'importe lequel
Take either of them → Prends l'un ou l'autre.
Do either of you smoke? → Est-ce que l'un de vous deux fume?
I don't like either of them.; I don't like either (= I like neither) → Je n'aime ni l'un ni l'autre., Je n'aime ni l'un ni l'autre.
There was no sound from either of the flats → Aucun bruit ne venait (de l'un ou l'autre) des appartements.
adv (following negative)non plus
I don't like milk, and I don't like eggs either → Je n'aime pas le lait, et je n'aime pas les œufs non plus.
no, I don't either → moi non plus
I haven't either → moi non plus
"I've never been to Spain." - "I haven't either." → "Je ne suis jamais allé en Espagne." - "Moi non plus."
I haven't got it either → moi non plus
conj
either good or bad → ou bon ou mauvais, soit bon soit mauvais
either ... or ... → soit ... soit ...
You can have either ice cream or yoghurt → Tu peux prendre soit une glace soit un yaourt.
I haven't seen either one or the other → je n'ai vu ni l'un ni l'autre

either
adj pron
(= one or other)eine(r, s) (von beiden); there are two boxes on the table, take either (of them)auf dem Tisch liegen zwei Schachteln, nimm eine davon; if on either side of the road there is a line of treeswenn eine Straßenseite mit Bäumen bestanden ist
(= each, both)jede(r, s), beide pl; either day would suit mebeide Tage passen mir; which bus will you take? — either (will do)welchen Bus wollen Sie nehmen? — das ist egal; she offered me tea and coffee, but I don’t drink either (of them)sie bot mir Tee und Kaffee an, aber ich trinke keines von beiden or ich trinke beides nicht; on either side of the streetauf beiden Seiten der Straße; it wasn’t in either (box)es war in keiner der beiden (Kisten)
adv conj
(after neg statement) → auch nicht; he sings badly and he can’t act eitherer ist ein schlechter Sänger, und spielen kann er auch nicht; I have never heard of him — no, I haven’t eitherich habe noch nie von ihm gehört — ich auch nicht
either … orentweder … oder; (after a negative) → weder … noch; he must be either lazy or stupider muss entweder faul oder dumm sein; either be quiet or go out!entweder bist du ruhig oder du gehst raus!; I have never been to either Paris or Romeich bin weder in Paris noch in Rom gewesen
(= moreover) she inherited some money and not an insignificant amount eithersie hat Geld geerbt, und (zwar) gar nicht so wenig

either [ˈaɪðəʳ]
1. adj
a. (one or other) → l'uno/a o l'altro/a
either day would suit me → mi va bene sia un giorno che l'altro
b. (each) → entrambi/e, ciascuno/a
on either side → su entrambi i lati
in either hand → in ciascuna mano
2. pron either (of them)(o) l'uno/a o l'altro/a
I don't want either of them → non voglio né l'uno né l'altro
give it to either of them → dallo a uno dei due
which bus will you take? - either → che autobus prendi? - uno qualsiasi dei due
I don't like either → non mi piace né l'uno né l'altro
3. conj either ...oro... o; (after neg) → né... né
either today or tomorrow → oggi o domani
either come in or stay out → o entri o stai fuori
I have never been to either Paris or Rome → non sono mai stato né a Parigi né a Roma
I haven't seen either one or the other → non ho visto né l'uno né l'altro
4. advneanche, nemmeno, neppure
he can't sing either → non sa neppure cantare
no, I don't/haven't either → no, neanch'io, no, nemmeno io

either [ˈaɪðəʳ]
1. adj
a. (one or other) → l'uno/a o l'altro/a
either day would suit me → mi va bene sia un giorno che l'altro
b. (each) → entrambi/e, ciascuno/a
on either side → su entrambi i lati
in either hand → in ciascuna mano
2. pron either (of them)(o) l'uno/a o l'altro/a
I don't want either of them → non voglio né l'uno né l'altro
give it to either of them → dallo a uno dei due
which bus will you take? - either → che autobus prendi? - uno qualsiasi dei due
I don't like either → non mi piace né l'uno né l'altro
3. conj either ...oro... o; (after neg) → né... né
either today or tomorrow → oggi o domani
either come in or stay out → o entri o stai fuori
I have never been to either Paris or Rome → non sono mai stato né a Parigi né a Roma
I haven't seen either one or the other → non ho visto né l'uno né l'altro
4. advneanche, nemmeno, neppure
he can't sing either → non sa neppure cantare
no, I don't/haven't either → no, neanch'io, no, nemmeno io

either
pron either [) ˈaiθə, (especially American ) ˈi:ðə(r)]
the one or the other of two You may borrow either of these books; I offered him coffee or tea, but he didn't want either. enige, enige een van die twee إمّا един jeden nebo druhý; žádný den ene eller den anden; nogen af delene eines (von zweien) είτε ο ένας είτε ο άλλος, ούτε ο ένας ούτε ο άλλος cualquiera; ni el uno ni el otro, ninguno de los dos emb-kumb, kumbki یکی یا دیگری؛ یکی از دوتا jompikumpi l'un(e) ou l'autre; l'un(e) et l'autre; ni l'un(e) ni l'autre הָאֶחָד מִבֵּין הַשנָיִים दोनों में से कोई एक oba egyik, valamelyik (a kettő közül) salah satu annar hvor, hvor sem er l'uno o l'altro; entrambi; nessuno dei due, né l'uno né l'altro どちらか (둘 중) 어느 쪽 하나 vienas iš dviejų, bet kuris viens no diviem; viens vai otrs atau beide hvilken som helst, noen jeden/żaden z dwóch um ou outro oricare (dintre); nici unul любой jeden alebo druhý; obidva; žiadny, nikto, niktorý oba; eden in/ali drugi; ne eden ne drugi bilo koji endera, ettdera, den (det) ena, någondera อย่างใดอย่างหนึ่งในจำนวนสอง ikisinden biri, hangisi olursa (兩者之中)任何一個 той чи той; один з двох دو میں سے کوئی ایک cái này hay cái kia trong hai cái
adj
1 the one or the other (of two things, people etc) He can write with either hand. een van twee أيٌ مِنهُما един от двата oba begge jede(-r/-s) (von zweien) ή ο ένας ή ο άλλος los dos, ambos ükskõik kumb هر یک از دو تا kummalla tahansa l'un ou l'autre, l'une ou l'autre; n'importe lequel, laquelle des deux בְּכָל אֶחָד दो में से कोई एक jdan ili drugi akármelyik, bármelyik satu atau lainnya með hvorum sem er; báðir entrambi, l'uno o l'altro どちらかの, どちらの (둘 중) 어느 하나의 bet kuris abi; kā viens, tā otrs kedua-dua beide den ene eller den andre, begge jeden albo drugi qualquer oricare; amândoi любой (из двух) obaja oba oba båda, bägge, vilken (vilket) som helst อย่างใดอย่างหนึ่ง ikisinden biri; ya o ya da bu (兩者之中)任一的 будь-який ایک یا دوسرے سے cái này hay cái kia trong hai cái
2 the one and the other (of two things, people etc); both at either side of the garden. beide في أيٍّ مِنهُما всеки oba hver beide και οι δύο cada mõlema(d) هر دو kumpi tahansa chaque בְּכָל אֶחָד दो में से कोई एक oba mindkét keduanya báðir, hvor sem er ambedue, entrambi 両方の (둘 중) 어느 것이든 abu, kiekvienas abi; katrs dua-dua belah beide den ene eller den andre, begge oba cada fie­care и тот и другой; оба obidva oba oba båda, bägge สิ่งหนึ่งและอีกสิ่งหนึ่ง her bir, hem o hem de bu; iki (兩者之中)每一方的 обидва دونوں cái này hay cái kia trong hai cái
adv
1 used for emphasis If you don't go, I won't either. ook nie أيضا (للتَوْكيد) нито také (ne) heller auch nicht ούτε (για έμφαση) tampoco ka (mitte) همچنین -kään non plus גָּם जोर देने के लिए उपयोग होता है ni, niti sem juga tidak (ekki) heldur neanche, nemmeno ~も (~ない) …도 또한 (…아니다) taip pat arī pun ook ikke...heller też (nie) também não nici также, тоже tiež tudi (ne) ni heller เช่นกัน de/da, dahi (用於否定句或否定詞後加強語氣)也 також زور کے لۓ dùng để nhấn mạnh]也
2 moreover; besides I used to sing, and I hadn't a bad voice, either. nogal أيْضا، بالإضافَةِ إلى ذلك също dokonce, navíc heller auch nicht επίσης, και μάλιστα además pealegi علاوه بر این myöskään d'ailleurs גָּם इसके अतिरिक्त ni, niti ráadásul lebih-lebih þar að auki; ennfremur neppure ~も (~ない) 게다가 be to, tarp kitko starp citu; pie tam juga ook heller ponadto por sinal de altfel к тому же dokonca tudi (ne) niti heller เช่นกัน üstelik (用於疑問句或條件從句中選擇部分後加強語氣)此外 до того ж اس کے علاوہ ngoài ra
either … or
introducing alternatives Either go to see him or send an apology. een of die ander إمّا أو или ... или buď ... nebo enten ... eller entweder...oder είτε...είτε o... o... kas ... või یا این یا آن؛ یکی از دوتا joko…tai ou (bien)... ou (bien)... זֶה אוֹ זֶה दो संभावनाओं के बीच अपरिहार्य चयन, या तो यह या वह ili... ili vagy...vagy memberi alternatif annaðhvort . . . eða o... o...; né... né... ~か~のどちらか 양자택일의 arba... arba vai nu ... vai samada of... of enten...eller albo... albo ou... ou sau..., sau... или... или, либо... либо buď ... alebo ali ... ali ili antingen ... eller ไม่อย่างนี้...ก็... ya... ya da 或者...或者... або ... або یہ یا وہ dùng để chỉ sự lựa chọn một trong hai 者...者...
either way
in the one case or the other Either way he wins. hoe dit ook al sy بأي طريقَة مِنهُما всеки случай v každém případě på den ene eller anden måde; ligemeget hvad so oder so έτσι κι αλλιώς de cualquier manera mõlemal juhul در هر دو صورت joka tapauksessa de toute façon בְּכָל מִקרֶה सिकी भी तरह kako god akár így, akár úgy satu atau lain cara hvort sem er; hvernig sem á málið er litið comunque, ad ogni modo どちらにしても 어느 쪽이든 bet kuriuo atveju jebkurā gadījumā macam mana pun in beide gevallen hvordan man enn snur og vender det w każdą stronę, jakkolwiek by na to patrzeć de qualquer maneira în orice caz в обоих случаях v každom prípade tako ali tako u svakom slučaju i vilket fall som helst, hursomhelst ไม่ว่าอย่างไร ikisinden hangisi olsa 總之 так чи інакше کسی حالت میں بھی một trong hai trường hợp

either … or the verb usually matches the noun or pronoun that comes closest to it: Either John or Mary is to blame / Either John or his brothers are going to the show .


either إما, أي من, فوق ذلك ani, buď, kterýkoliv begge, enten, heller ebenso, einer von beiden, entweder είτε, εκάτερος, ούτε cualquiera de los dos, tampoco, ya sea jompikumpi, -kaan/-kään, kumpikaan l’un ou l’autre, non plus, soit bilo koji, ili l'uno o l'altro, nemmeno, o ・・・かまたは・・・か, ・・・もまた, どちらも ...이든 (아니면)..., …도 또한 …아니다, 어느 쪽 하나 beide, evenmin, hetzij begge, enten, heller albo, którykolwiek, również cada um, ou, tampouco каждый, либо, также antingen, eller, endera ไม่เช่นกัน, ถ้าไม่....ก็....., อย่างใดอย่างหนึ่งในจำนวนสอง her ikisi de, ikisinden biri, ya o, ya bu hoặc, một trong hai 任一, 或者


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All states, all powers, that have held and hold rule over men have been and are either republics or principalities.
The JUST causes of war, for the most part, arise either from violation of treaties or from direct violence.
For as there are persons who, by conscious art or mere habit, imitate and represent various objects through the medium of colour and form, or again by the voice; so in the arts above mentioned, taken as a whole, the imitation is produced by rhythm, language, or 'harmony,' either singly or combined.
 
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