one or the other of two: You may sit at either end of the table.
2.
each of two; the one and the other: There are trees on either side of the river.
–pronoun
3.
one or the other: There are two roads into the town, and you can take either. Either will do.
–conjunction
4.
(a coordinating conjunction that, when preceding a word or statement followed by the disjunctive or, serves to emphasize the possibility of choice): Either come or write.
–adverb
5.
also; too; as well; to the same degree (used after negative clauses coordinated by and, or, or nor, or after negative subordinate clauses): He's not fond of parties, and I'm not either. If you don't come, she won't come either.
Origin: bef. 900; ME; OE ǣgther, contr. of ǣghwæther each of two, both; see ay1, whether
Usage note: When the pronoun either is the subject and comes immediately before the verb, the verb is singular: Either is good enough. Either grows well in this soil. When either is followed by a prepositional phrase with a plural object, there is a tendency to use a plural verb, but a singular verb is more common: Either of them is (or are) good enough. Either of the shrubs grows (or grow) well in this soil. As an adjective either refers only to two of anything: either side of the river; using either hand. As a pronoun either sometimes occurs in reference to more than two (either of the three children), but any is more common in this construction (any of the three children). As a conjunction, either often introduces a series of more than two: The houses were finished with either cedar siding or stucco or brick. The pizza is topped with either anchovies, green peppers, or mushrooms. Usage guides say that the verb used with subjects joined by the correlative conjunctions either … or (or neither … nor) is singular or plural depending on the number of the noun or pronoun nearer the verb: Either the parents or the school determines the program. Either the school or the parents determine the program. Practice in this matter varies, however, and often the presence of one plural, no matter what its position, results in a plural verb: Either the parents or the school determine the program. In carefully edited writing, these correlative conjunctions are usually placed so that what follows the first correlative is parallel to what follows the second: The damage was done by either the wind or vandals or either by the wind or by vandals (not done either by the wind or vandals).See also neither.
Pronunciation note: The pronunciations/ˈiðər/Show Spelled Pronunciation[ee-ther]Show IPAand/ˈniðər/[nee-ther], with the vowel/i/[ee]of see, are the usual ones in American English for the words either and neither. The pronunciations/ˈaɪðər/[ahy-ther]and/ˈnaɪðər/[nahy-ther], with the/aɪ/[ahy]vowel of bite, occur occasionally for these words, chiefly in the speech of the educated and in the network standard English of radio and television. Both the/i/[ee]and/aɪ/[ahy]pronunciations existed in British English, and in the 19th century the/aɪ/[ahy]came to predominate in standard British speech. In American English, therefore, it reflects a recent borrowing from British speech rather than a survival from the time of early settlement, influenced as well by the ei spelling, which is pronounced as/aɪ/[ahy]in such words as height and stein.
ei·ther (ē'thər, ī'thər) 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.
Any one of two; one or the other: Wear either coat.
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 ǣther, ǣghwæther; 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.
O.E. ægðer, contraction of æghwæðer "each of two, both," from a "always" + ge- collective prefix + hwæðer "which of two, whether." Modern sense of "one or the other of two" is early 14c. Use of either-or to suggest an unavoidable choice between alternatives (1931) in some cases reflects Dan. enten-eller, title of an 1843 book by Kierkegaard.
[ee-th
er, ahy-th