either-or

either-or
I. noun Date: 1922 an unavoidable choice or exclusive division between only two alternatives II. adjective Date: 1926 of or marked by either-or ; black-and-white

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • either — 1. pronunciation. The pronunciations iy dhǝ and ee dhǝ are about equally common. 2. parts of speech. Either functions in two ways: as an adjective or pronoun, and as an adverb or conjunction. In all these uses, it means essentially ‘one or other… …   Modern English usage

  • Either — Ei ther ([=e] [th][ e]r or [imac] [th][ e]r; 277), a. & pron. [OE. either, aither, AS. [=ae]g[eth]er, [=ae]ghw[ae][eth]er (akin to OHG. [=e]ogiwedar, MHG. iegeweder); [=a] + ge + hw[ae][eth]er whether. See {Each}, and {Whether}, and cf. {Or},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Either — Ei ther, conj. Either precedes two, or more, co[ o]rdinate words or phrases, and is introductory to an alternative. It is correlative to or. [1913 Webster] Either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • either —  Either suggests a duality and is almost always better avoided when the context involves quantities of more than two, as in Decisions on Mansfield’s economy are now made in either Detroit, Pittsburgh, or New York. Often in such constructions,… …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Either/Or — Album par Elliott Smith Sortie 27 février 1997 Durée 37:00 Genre(s) Rock indépendant Producteur(s) Elliott Smith Tom Rothrock Rob Schnapf …   Wikipédia en Français

  • either — O.E. ægðer, contraction of æghwæðer each of two, both, from a always (see AYE (Cf. aye) (2)) + ge collective prefix + hwæðer which of two, whether (see WHETHER (Cf. whether)). Cognate with Du. ieder, O.H.G. eogiwedar, G …   Etymology dictionary

  • Either — Either/or means one or the other. Its usage, versus the simple or structure, is often for emphatic purposes, sometimes intending to emphasize that only one option is possible, or to emphasize that there are only two options. Its use in a sentence …   Wikipedia

  • Either/Or — For the Elliott Smith album, see Either/Or (album). For the game show, see Either/Or (TV series). Either/Or   …   Wikipedia

  • either — ei|ther [ iðər ] function word, quantifier *** Either can be used in the following ways: in the expression either...or: Students could choose either French or Spanish. You can either come by bus or take a taxi. as a determiner (followed by a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • either — ei|ther1 W1S1 [ˈaıðə US ˈi:ðər] conj either ... or a) used to begin a list of two or more possibilities ▪ You add either one or two cloves of garlic. ▪ She s the kind of person you either love or hate. see usage note ↑also b) used to say that if… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • either — [[t]a͟ɪðə(r), i͟ːðə(r)[/t]] ♦ 1) CONJ COORD You use either in front of the first of two or more alternatives, when you are stating the only possibilities or choices that there are. The other alternatives are introduced by or . They gave money to… …   English dictionary

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