English word either comes from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís, Proto-Indo-European *kʷ-, Proto-Indo-European *-teros (Contrastive or oppositional adjectival suffix.), English whether, English ay, Old English æghwæþer (Each (of two).)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *kʷís | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | Who, what (interrogative). Who, which, that (relative) Which, what. |
| *kʷ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *-teros | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | Contrastive or oppositional adjectival suffix. |
| whether | English (eng) | (obsolete) Which of two. [11th-19th c.] (obsolete) Which of two. (obsolete) Introducing a direct interrogative question (often with correlative or) which indicates doubt between alternatives.. Used to introduce a disjunctive adverbial clause which qualifies the main clause of the sentence (with correlative or).. Used to introduce an indirect interrogative question that consists of multiple [...] |
| ay | English (eng) | ("yes") (question tag) (archaic, poetic, _, or, _, Northern England) Always; ever; continually; for an indefinite time. ("yes"). Ah! alas!. |
| æghwæþer | Old English (ang) | Each (of two). |
| *kʷey | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| ǣġþer | Old English (ang) | |
| *hwē | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | How, with what, by what means;. |
| *kʷóteros | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | Which of two. |
| *hwaþeraz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | (interrogative) which, what (of two). |
| hwæþer | Old English (ang) | Which (of the two). |
| either | Middle English (enm) | Both of two members of a group.. Each of two members of a group.. Either of two members of a group. Both, all, or any of a set.. Each of a group. Both of two.. Each of two.. Either of two. |
| either | English (eng) | (obsolete) Both, each of two or more.. One or other of two people or things. (coordinating) Used before two or more not necessarily exclusive possibilities separated by "or" or sometimes by a comma.. Each of two. [from 9th c.]. One or the other of two. [from 14th c.] Introduces the first of two options, the second of which is introduced by "or". (conjunctive, after a negative) As well. |