See either in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"word": "either"
},
{
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"lang_code": "sco",
"word": "aither"
}
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{
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"3": "ǣġþer"
},
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},
{
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},
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"etymology_text": "From Old English ǣġþer, ǣðer, a contraction of ǣġhwæþer.\nNotes on phonological development\nThe form with /æi̯/ represents the regular development of the Old English sequence /æːj/ in ǣġþer. The monophthongal form with /ɛː/ may reflect a development of the /æː/ resulting from a West Saxon Old English tendency for the loss of /j/ between a vowel and a dental consonant (compare onġēan), a development of an *ǣhþer (see below), or a restressing of an unstressed form with /ɛ/.\nWhile no unambiguous representation of such a pronunciation is found before John Jones (1701), the most immediately parsimonious explanation of modern English pronunciations of either with /aɪ/ is that they descend from a Middle English /iː/. However, the source of this form is not immediately obvious; it may reflect Old English *ǣhþer (/ˈæːx.θer/), a divergent simplification of ǣġhwæþer, where /æː/ was regularly raised to /eː/ then diphthongised to /ei̯/ before /x/ (as in e.g. heigh); later, /x/ was lost and /ei̯/ developed to /iː/ (which then would develop to Modern English /aɪ/). Another possibility is that it reflects Kentish Old English *ēġþer, where /eːj/ would regularly develop into /ei/. Furthermore, the form with /ɛː/ may also reflect a collateral development of *ǣhþer where /x/ was lost before the raising of /æː/ to /eː/ before it could occur.\nAn alternative possibility is that no Middle English form with /iː/ existed; in that case, the modern form with /aɪ/ would represent a reflex of Middle English /æi/. Viëtor posits a special development of that sound an open syllable (compare a potential parallel in Reigate), while another possibility is a borrowing of a dialectal form with that vowel into standard English, where it was identified with the reflex of /iː/ as that of /æi/ was monophthongal ([ɛː] or [eː]) at that point.",
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{
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"tags": [
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]
},
{
"form": "æȝþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "ethir",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "eiþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
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},
{
"form": "outher",
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},
{
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"tags": [
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},
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],
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"pos": "det",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "24 2 19 2 0 21 16 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English determiners",
"parents": [],
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{
"_dis": "24 2 19 2 0 19 17 16",
"kind": "other",
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"parents": [],
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},
{
"_dis": "22 5 15 8 7 20 13 9",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English pronouns",
"parents": [],
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}
],
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"Both of two."
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"id": "en-either-enm-det-xqIYQL~O",
"links": [
[
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"both"
]
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Each of two."
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"links": [
[
"Each",
"each"
]
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Either of two."
],
"id": "en-either-enm-det-K9iYvhLV"
}
],
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{
"ipa": "/ˈæi̯ðər/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛːðər/",
"tags": [
"uncommon"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈiːðər/",
"tags": [
"possibly"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛðər/",
"note": "from unstressed forms"
}
],
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}
{
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},
{
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},
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],
"etymology_text": "From Old English ǣġþer, ǣðer, a contraction of ǣġhwæþer.\nNotes on phonological development\nThe form with /æi̯/ represents the regular development of the Old English sequence /æːj/ in ǣġþer. The monophthongal form with /ɛː/ may reflect a development of the /æː/ resulting from a West Saxon Old English tendency for the loss of /j/ between a vowel and a dental consonant (compare onġēan), a development of an *ǣhþer (see below), or a restressing of an unstressed form with /ɛ/.\nWhile no unambiguous representation of such a pronunciation is found before John Jones (1701), the most immediately parsimonious explanation of modern English pronunciations of either with /aɪ/ is that they descend from a Middle English /iː/. However, the source of this form is not immediately obvious; it may reflect Old English *ǣhþer (/ˈæːx.θer/), a divergent simplification of ǣġhwæþer, where /æː/ was regularly raised to /eː/ then diphthongised to /ei̯/ before /x/ (as in e.g. heigh); later, /x/ was lost and /ei̯/ developed to /iː/ (which then would develop to Modern English /aɪ/). Another possibility is that it reflects Kentish Old English *ēġþer, where /eːj/ would regularly develop into /ei/. Furthermore, the form with /ɛː/ may also reflect a collateral development of *ǣhþer where /x/ was lost before the raising of /æː/ to /eː/ before it could occur.\nAn alternative possibility is that no Middle English form with /iː/ existed; in that case, the modern form with /aɪ/ would represent a reflex of Middle English /æi/. Viëtor posits a special development of that sound an open syllable (compare a potential parallel in Reigate), while another possibility is a borrowing of a dialectal form with that vowel into standard English, where it was identified with the reflex of /iː/ as that of /æi/ was monophthongal ([ɛː] or [eː]) at that point.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "ayther",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "æȝþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "ethir",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "eiþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "outher",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "aithir",
"tags": [
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}
],
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{
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],
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"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "24 2 19 2 0 21 16 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English determiners",
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{
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{
"_dis": "22 5 15 8 7 20 13 9",
"kind": "other",
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}
],
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],
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[
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"both"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "24 2 19 2 0 21 16 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English determiners",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 2 19 2 0 19 17 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "22 5 15 8 7 20 13 9",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English pronouns",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
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],
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"links": [
[
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]
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "24 2 19 2 0 21 16 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English determiners",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 2 19 2 0 19 17 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Either of two members of a group."
],
"id": "en-either-enm-pron-R3uUVSKa"
}
],
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{
"ipa": "/ˈæi̯ðər/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛːðər/",
"tags": [
"uncommon"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈiːðər/",
"tags": [
"possibly"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛðər/",
"note": "from unstressed forms"
}
],
"word": "either"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
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"2": "ang",
"3": "ǣġþer"
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"expansion": "Old English ǣġþer",
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},
{
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},
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],
"etymology_text": "From Old English ǣġþer, ǣðer, a contraction of ǣġhwæþer.\nNotes on phonological development\nThe form with /æi̯/ represents the regular development of the Old English sequence /æːj/ in ǣġþer. The monophthongal form with /ɛː/ may reflect a development of the /æː/ resulting from a West Saxon Old English tendency for the loss of /j/ between a vowel and a dental consonant (compare onġēan), a development of an *ǣhþer (see below), or a restressing of an unstressed form with /ɛ/.\nWhile no unambiguous representation of such a pronunciation is found before John Jones (1701), the most immediately parsimonious explanation of modern English pronunciations of either with /aɪ/ is that they descend from a Middle English /iː/. However, the source of this form is not immediately obvious; it may reflect Old English *ǣhþer (/ˈæːx.θer/), a divergent simplification of ǣġhwæþer, where /æː/ was regularly raised to /eː/ then diphthongised to /ei̯/ before /x/ (as in e.g. heigh); later, /x/ was lost and /ei̯/ developed to /iː/ (which then would develop to Modern English /aɪ/). Another possibility is that it reflects Kentish Old English *ēġþer, where /eːj/ would regularly develop into /ei/. Furthermore, the form with /ɛː/ may also reflect a collateral development of *ǣhþer where /x/ was lost before the raising of /æː/ to /eː/ before it could occur.\nAn alternative possibility is that no Middle English form with /iː/ existed; in that case, the modern form with /aɪ/ would represent a reflex of Middle English /æi/. Viëtor posits a special development of that sound an open syllable (compare a potential parallel in Reigate), while another possibility is a borrowing of a dialectal form with that vowel into standard English, where it was identified with the reflex of /iː/ as that of /æi/ was monophthongal ([ɛː] or [eː]) at that point.",
"forms": [
{
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"tags": [
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]
},
{
"form": "æȝþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "ethir",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "eiþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "outher",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "aithir",
"tags": [
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]
}
],
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"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "adj",
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{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "24 2 19 2 0 21 16 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Middle English determiners",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
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"_dis": "22 5 15 8 7 20 13 9",
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}
],
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],
"id": "en-either-enm-adj-1l4dSJHY",
"links": [
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"both"
]
]
},
{
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],
"id": "en-either-enm-adj-oaRlBjpj",
"links": [
[
"Each",
"each"
]
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈæi̯ðər/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛːðər/",
"tags": [
"uncommon"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈiːðər/",
"tags": [
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]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛðər/",
"note": "from unstressed forms"
}
],
"word": "either"
}
{
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"Middle English determiners",
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English lemmas",
"Middle English pronouns",
"Middle English terms derived from Old English",
"Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
"Pages with 3 entries",
"Pages with entries"
],
"descendants": [
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"word": "either"
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{
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"word": "aither"
}
],
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},
{
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},
"expansion": "/ɛː/",
"name": "IPAfont"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Old English ǣġþer, ǣðer, a contraction of ǣġhwæþer.\nNotes on phonological development\nThe form with /æi̯/ represents the regular development of the Old English sequence /æːj/ in ǣġþer. The monophthongal form with /ɛː/ may reflect a development of the /æː/ resulting from a West Saxon Old English tendency for the loss of /j/ between a vowel and a dental consonant (compare onġēan), a development of an *ǣhþer (see below), or a restressing of an unstressed form with /ɛ/.\nWhile no unambiguous representation of such a pronunciation is found before John Jones (1701), the most immediately parsimonious explanation of modern English pronunciations of either with /aɪ/ is that they descend from a Middle English /iː/. However, the source of this form is not immediately obvious; it may reflect Old English *ǣhþer (/ˈæːx.θer/), a divergent simplification of ǣġhwæþer, where /æː/ was regularly raised to /eː/ then diphthongised to /ei̯/ before /x/ (as in e.g. heigh); later, /x/ was lost and /ei̯/ developed to /iː/ (which then would develop to Modern English /aɪ/). Another possibility is that it reflects Kentish Old English *ēġþer, where /eːj/ would regularly develop into /ei/. Furthermore, the form with /ɛː/ may also reflect a collateral development of *ǣhþer where /x/ was lost before the raising of /æː/ to /eː/ before it could occur.\nAn alternative possibility is that no Middle English form with /iː/ existed; in that case, the modern form with /aɪ/ would represent a reflex of Middle English /æi/. Viëtor posits a special development of that sound an open syllable (compare a potential parallel in Reigate), while another possibility is a borrowing of a dialectal form with that vowel into standard English, where it was identified with the reflex of /iː/ as that of /æi/ was monophthongal ([ɛː] or [eː]) at that point.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "ayther",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "æȝþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "ethir",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "eiþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "outher",
"tags": [
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]
},
{
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"tags": [
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]
}
],
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},
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"name": "head"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "det",
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"Both of two."
],
"links": [
[
"Both",
"both"
]
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Each of two."
],
"links": [
[
"Each",
"each"
]
]
},
{
"glosses": [
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]
}
],
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{
"ipa": "/ˈæi̯ðər/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛːðər/",
"tags": [
"uncommon"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈiːðər/",
"tags": [
"possibly"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛðər/",
"note": "from unstressed forms"
}
],
"word": "either"
}
{
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"Middle English determiners",
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English lemmas",
"Middle English pronouns",
"Middle English terms derived from Old English",
"Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
"Pages with 3 entries",
"Pages with entries"
],
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"word": "either"
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{
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"word": "aither"
}
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},
{
"args": {
"1": "/ɛː/"
},
"expansion": "/ɛː/",
"name": "IPAfont"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Old English ǣġþer, ǣðer, a contraction of ǣġhwæþer.\nNotes on phonological development\nThe form with /æi̯/ represents the regular development of the Old English sequence /æːj/ in ǣġþer. The monophthongal form with /ɛː/ may reflect a development of the /æː/ resulting from a West Saxon Old English tendency for the loss of /j/ between a vowel and a dental consonant (compare onġēan), a development of an *ǣhþer (see below), or a restressing of an unstressed form with /ɛ/.\nWhile no unambiguous representation of such a pronunciation is found before John Jones (1701), the most immediately parsimonious explanation of modern English pronunciations of either with /aɪ/ is that they descend from a Middle English /iː/. However, the source of this form is not immediately obvious; it may reflect Old English *ǣhþer (/ˈæːx.θer/), a divergent simplification of ǣġhwæþer, where /æː/ was regularly raised to /eː/ then diphthongised to /ei̯/ before /x/ (as in e.g. heigh); later, /x/ was lost and /ei̯/ developed to /iː/ (which then would develop to Modern English /aɪ/). Another possibility is that it reflects Kentish Old English *ēġþer, where /eːj/ would regularly develop into /ei/. Furthermore, the form with /ɛː/ may also reflect a collateral development of *ǣhþer where /x/ was lost before the raising of /æː/ to /eː/ before it could occur.\nAn alternative possibility is that no Middle English form with /iː/ existed; in that case, the modern form with /aɪ/ would represent a reflex of Middle English /æi/. Viëtor posits a special development of that sound an open syllable (compare a potential parallel in Reigate), while another possibility is a borrowing of a dialectal form with that vowel into standard English, where it was identified with the reflex of /iː/ as that of /æi/ was monophthongal ([ɛː] or [eː]) at that point.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "ayther",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "æȝþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "ethir",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "eiþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "outher",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "aithir",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "pronoun"
},
"expansion": "either",
"name": "head"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "pron",
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"Both of two members of a group."
],
"links": [
[
"Both",
"both"
]
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Each of two members of a group."
],
"links": [
[
"Each",
"each"
]
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Either of two members of a group."
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈæi̯ðər/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛːðər/",
"tags": [
"uncommon"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈiːðər/",
"tags": [
"possibly"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛðər/",
"note": "from unstressed forms"
}
],
"word": "either"
}
{
"categories": [
"Middle English adjectives",
"Middle English determiners",
"Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
"Middle English lemmas",
"Middle English pronouns",
"Middle English terms derived from Old English",
"Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
"Pages with 3 entries",
"Pages with entries"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "ang",
"3": "ǣġþer"
},
"expansion": "Old English ǣġþer",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "2",
"2": "Notes on phonological development"
},
"expansion": "Notes on phonological development",
"name": "col-top"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "/æi̯/"
},
"expansion": "/æi̯/",
"name": "IPAfont"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "/ɛː/"
},
"expansion": "/ɛː/",
"name": "IPAfont"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "",
"3": "*ǣhþer"
},
"expansion": "Old English *ǣhþer",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang-ken",
"2": "",
"3": "*ēġþer"
},
"expansion": "Kentish Old English *ēġþer",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "/ɛː/"
},
"expansion": "/ɛː/",
"name": "IPAfont"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Old English ǣġþer, ǣðer, a contraction of ǣġhwæþer.\nNotes on phonological development\nThe form with /æi̯/ represents the regular development of the Old English sequence /æːj/ in ǣġþer. The monophthongal form with /ɛː/ may reflect a development of the /æː/ resulting from a West Saxon Old English tendency for the loss of /j/ between a vowel and a dental consonant (compare onġēan), a development of an *ǣhþer (see below), or a restressing of an unstressed form with /ɛ/.\nWhile no unambiguous representation of such a pronunciation is found before John Jones (1701), the most immediately parsimonious explanation of modern English pronunciations of either with /aɪ/ is that they descend from a Middle English /iː/. However, the source of this form is not immediately obvious; it may reflect Old English *ǣhþer (/ˈæːx.θer/), a divergent simplification of ǣġhwæþer, where /æː/ was regularly raised to /eː/ then diphthongised to /ei̯/ before /x/ (as in e.g. heigh); later, /x/ was lost and /ei̯/ developed to /iː/ (which then would develop to Modern English /aɪ/). Another possibility is that it reflects Kentish Old English *ēġþer, where /eːj/ would regularly develop into /ei/. Furthermore, the form with /ɛː/ may also reflect a collateral development of *ǣhþer where /x/ was lost before the raising of /æː/ to /eː/ before it could occur.\nAn alternative possibility is that no Middle English form with /iː/ existed; in that case, the modern form with /aɪ/ would represent a reflex of Middle English /æi/. Viëtor posits a special development of that sound an open syllable (compare a potential parallel in Reigate), while another possibility is a borrowing of a dialectal form with that vowel into standard English, where it was identified with the reflex of /iː/ as that of /æi/ was monophthongal ([ɛː] or [eː]) at that point.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "ayther",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "æȝþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "ethir",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "eiþer",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "outher",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "aithir",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "adjective"
},
"expansion": "either",
"name": "head"
}
],
"lang": "Middle English",
"lang_code": "enm",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"Both, all, or any of a set."
],
"links": [
[
"Both",
"both"
]
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Each of a group."
],
"links": [
[
"Each",
"each"
]
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈæi̯ðər/"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛːðər/",
"tags": [
"uncommon"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈiːðər/",
"tags": [
"possibly"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈɛðər/",
"note": "from unstressed forms"
}
],
"word": "either"
}
Download raw JSONL data for either meaning in Middle English (11.3kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-05-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-05-01 using wiktextract (f69e205 and 9452535). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.