Eitherdeterminer
One of two.
‘You can have it in either colour.’;
Whetherdeterminer
(obsolete) Which of two.
Eitherdeterminer
Each of two; both.
‘There is a locomotive at either end of the train, one pulling and the other pushing.’;
Whetherpronoun
(obsolete) Which of two.
Eitherpronoun
One or other of two people or things.
‘He made me two offers, but I did not accept either.’;
Whetherconjunction
(obsolete) Introducing a direct interrogative question (often with correlative or) which indicates doubt between alternatives.
Eitherpronoun
(obsolete) Both, each of two or more.
Whetherconjunction
Used to introduce an indirect interrogative question that consists of multiple alternative possibilities (usually with correlative or).
‘He chose the correct answer, but I don't know whether it was by luck or by skill.’;
Eitheradverb
As well.
‘I don't like him, and I don't like her either.’;
Whetherconjunction
Without a correlative, used to introduce a simple indirect question.
‘Do you know whether he's coming?’;
Eitherconjunction
Introduces the first of two (or occasionally more) options or possibilities, the second (or last) of which is introduced by "or".
‘Either you eat your dinner or you go to your room.’; ‘You can have either potatoes or rice with that, but not both.’; ‘You'll be either early, late, or on time.’;
Whetherconjunction
Used to introduce a disjunctive adverbial clause which qualifies the main clause of the sentence (with correlative or).
‘He's coming, whether you like it or not.’;
Eitheradjective
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.’;
Whetherpronoun
Which (of two); which one (of two); - used interrogatively and relatively.
‘Now choose yourself whether that you liketh.’; ‘One day in doubt I cast for to compareWhether in beauties' glory did exceed.’; ‘Whether of them twain did the will of his father?’;
Eitheradjective
Each of two; the one and the other; both; - formerly, also, each of any number.
‘His flowing hairIn curls on either cheek played.’; ‘On either side . . . was there the tree of life.’; ‘The extreme right and left of either army never engaged.’;
Whetherconjunction
In case; if; - used to introduce the first or two or more alternative clauses, the other or others being connected by or, or by or whether. When the second of two alternatives is the simple negative of the first it is sometimes only indicated by the particle not or no after the correlative, and sometimes it is omitted entirely as being distinctly implied in the whether of the first.
‘And now who knowsBut you, Lorenzo, whether I am yours?’; ‘You have said; but whether wisely or no, let the forest judge.’; ‘For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.’; ‘But whether thus these things, or whether not;Whether the sun, predominant in heaven,Rise on the earth, or earth rise on the sun, . . . Solicit not thy thoughts with matters hid.’;
Eitherconjunction
Either precedes two, or more, coördinate 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.’; ‘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.’; ‘Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs?’;
Eitheradverb
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’;
Eitherconjunction
used before the first of two (or occasionally more) given alternatives (the other being introduced by ‘or’)
‘either I accompany you to your room or I wait here’; ‘available in either black or white’;
Eitherconjunction
used to indicate a similarity or link with a statement just made
‘it won't do any harm, but won't really help either’; ‘You don't like him, do you? I don't either’;
Eitherconjunction
for that matter; moreover
‘I was too tired to go. And I couldn't have paid, either’;
Eitheradverb
used before the first of two (or occasionally more) given alternatives (the other being introduced by ‘or’)
‘available in either black or white’; ‘either I accompany you to your room or I wait here’;
Eitheradverb
used to indicate a similarity or link with a statement just made
‘it won't do any harm, but won't really help either’; ‘You don't like him, do you? I don't either’;
Eitheradverb
Eitheradverb
for that matter; moreover
‘I was too tired to go. And I couldn't have paid, either’;
Eitherdeterminer
one or the other of two people or things
‘there were no children of either marriage’; ‘their mortgage will be repaid if either of them dies’;
Eitherdeterminer
each of two
‘the road was straight, with fields on either side’;
Eitherpronoun
one or the other of two people or things
‘their mortgage will be repaid if either of them dies’; ‘there were no children of either marriage’;
Eitherpronoun
Eitherpronoun
each of two
‘the road was straight, with fields on either side’;
