neither

I. conjunction Etymology: Middle English, alteration (influenced by either) of nauther, nother, from Old English nāhwæther, nōther, from nā, nō not + hwæther which of two, whether Date: 12th century 1. not either <

neither black nor white

> 2. also not <

neither did I

> Usage: Although use with or is neither archaic nor wrong, neither is usually followed by nor. A few commentators think that neither must be limited in reference to two, but reference to more than two has been quite common since the 17th century <

rigid enforcement of antique decorum will help neither language, literature, nor literati — James Sledd

>. II. pronoun Date: 13th century not the one or the other of two or more Usage: Some commentators insist that neither must be used with a singular verb. It generally is, but especially when a prepositional phrase intervenes between it and the verb, a plural verb is quite common <

neither of those ideal solutions are in sight — C. P. Snow

>. III. adjective Date: 14th century not either <

neither hand

> IV. adverb Date: 1551 1. chiefly dialect either <

are not to be understood neither — Earl of Chesterfield

> 2. similarly not ; also not <

just as the serf was not permitted to leave the land, so neither was his offspring — G. G. Coulton

>