Neither - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

nei·ther

Audio Help [nee-th

er, nahy-] Pronunciation Key

–conjunction

1.	not either, as of persons or things specified (usually fol. by nor): Neither John nor Betty is at home.

2.	nor; nor yet; no more: Bob can't go, and neither can I. If she doesn't want it, neither do I.

–adjective

3.	not either; not the one or the other: Neither statement is true.

–pronoun

4.	not either; not one person or the other; not one thing or the other: Neither of the suggestions will do. Neither is to be trusted.

[Origin: 1150–1200; ME, equiv. to ne not + either; r. ME nawther, OE nāwther, nāhwæther (nā not, no¹ + hwæther which of two; see whether)

]

—Usage note As an adjective or pronoun meaning “not either,” neither is usually followed by a singular verb and referred to by a singular personal pronoun: Neither lawyer prepares her own briefs. Neither performs his duties for reward. When neither is followed by a prepositional phrase with a plural object, there has been, ever since the 17th century, a tendency, especially in speech and less formal writing, to use a plural verb and personal pronoun: Neither of the guards were at their stations. In edited writing, however, singular verbs and pronouns are more common in such constructions: Neither of the guards was at his station.
As a correlative conjunction, neither is almost always followed by nor, not or: Neither the liberals nor the conservatives had originally supported the winner. Subjects connected by neither … nor take singular verbs and pronouns when both subjects are singular (Neither Diane nor Nicole has her own apartment), plural when both are plural: Neither the Yankees nor the Dodgers got much help from their bull pens that year. Usage guides commonly say that when a singular and a plural subject are joined by these correlative conjunctions, the noun or pronoun nearer the verb should determine the number of the verb: Neither the mayor nor the council members have yielded on the issue. Neither the council members nor the mayor has yielded on the issue. Practice in this matter varies, however, and often the presence of one plural, no matter what its position, results in a plural verb.
In edited writing the construction following neither is parallel to the one following nor: The great days of American political oratory are neither dead nor waning (not neither are dead nor waning). This sale sacrifices neither quality nor availability (not This sale neither sacrifices quality nor availability).
Although some usage guides say that neither may introduce a series of no more than two, it often is used to introduce a series of three or more: The head of that department is neither skillful nor well-prepared nor honest. See also either.

—Pronunciation note See either.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Neither

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

nei·ther Audio Help   (nē'thər, nī'-) Pronunciation Key
adj.   Not one or the other; not either: Neither shoe feels comfortable.

pron.   Not either one; not the one or the other: Neither of the twins is here. Neither will do. Neither of them is incorrect.

conj.

Not either; not in either case. Used with the correlative conjunction nor: Neither we nor they want it. She neither called nor wrote. I got neither the gift nor the card.
Also not: If he won't go, neither will she.

adv. Similarly not; also not: Just as you would not, so neither would they.

[Middle English, from Old English nāwther, nāhwæther (influenced by æghwæther, ægther, either) : nā, not; see ne in Indo-European roots + hwæther, which of two; see k^wo- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: According to the traditional rule, neither is used only to mean "not one or the other of two." To refer to "none of several," none is preferred: None (not neither) of the three opposition candidates would make a better president than the incumbent. · The traditional rule also holds that neither is grammatically singular: Neither candidate is having an easy time with the press. However, it is often used with a plural verb, especially when followed by of and a plural: Neither of the candidates are really expressing their own views. · As a conjunction neither is properly followed by nor, not or, in formal style: Neither prayers nor curses (not or curses) did any good. See Usage Notes at either, every, he¹, none, nor¹, or¹.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
neither

O.E. nawþer, contraction of nahwæþer, lit. "not of two," from na "no" (see no) + hwæþer "which of two" (see whether). Spelling alt. c.1200 by association with either.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

neither
adjective
not either; not one or the other

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
neither [ˈnaiðə, (especially American) ˈni:ðə(r)] adjective, pronoun

not the one nor the other (of two things or people)
Example: Neither window faces the sea; Neither of them could understand Italian.

Arabic:	وَلا واحِد منهُما
Chinese (Simplified):	两者都不
Chinese (Traditional):	兩者都不
Czech:	žádný, nikdo
Danish:	ingen
Dutch:	geen van beide
Estonian:	kumbki
Finnish:	ei kumpikaan
French:	ni l'un ni l'autre, aucun des deux
German:	kein
Greek:	κανένας από τους δύο
Hungarian:	egyik sem (a kettő közül)
Icelandic:	hvorugur
Indonesian:	tidak satu pun
Italian:	(nessuno dei due)

Japanese:	どちらも～でない
Korean:	…도 아니고 또 …도 아니다
Latvian:	neviens
Lithuanian:	nei vienas (nei kitas)
Norwegian:	ingen av, verken den ene eller den andre
Polish:	żaden z
Portuguese (Brazil):	nem um nem outro, nenhum dos dois
Portuguese (Portugal):	nenhum
Romanian:	nici un, nici o (din doi); nici unul, nici una (din doi)
Russian:	никакой; ни тот, ни другой
Slovak:	žiadny
Slovenian:	nobeden (od dveh)
Spanish:	ninguno de los dos
Swedish:	ingen, ingendera
Turkish:	(ikisinden) hiç biri, hiç biri

See also: neither … nor

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Neither

Nei"ther\ (? or ?; 277), a. [OE. neiter, nother, nouther, AS. n[=a]w?er, n[=a]hw[ae]?er; n[=a] never, not + hw[ae]?er whether. The word has followed the form of either. See No, and Whether, and cf. Neuter, Nor.] Not either; not the one or the other.

Which of them shall I take? Both? one? or neither? Neither can be enjoyed, If both remain alive. --Shak.

He neither loves, Nor either cares for him. --Shak.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Neither

Nei"ther\, conj. not either; generally used to introduce the first of two or more co["o]rdinate clauses of which those that follow begin with nor.

Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king. --1 Kings xxii. 31.

Hadst thou been firm and fixed in thy dissent, Neither had I transgressed, nor thou with me. --Milton.

When she put it on, she made me vow That I should neither sell, nor give, nor lose it. --Shak.

Note: Neither was formerly often used where we now use nor. "For neither circumcision, neither uncircumcision is anything at all." --Tyndale. "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it." --Gen. iii. 3. Neither is sometimes used colloquially at the end of a clause to enforce a foregoing negative (nor, not, no). "He is very tall, but not too tall neither." --Addison. " `I care not for his thrust' `No, nor I neither."' --Shak.

Not so neither, by no means. [Obs.] --Shak.

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