neither


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nei·ther

 (nē′thər, nī′-)
adj.
Not one or the other; not either: Neither shoe feels comfortable.
pron.
Not either one; not the one or the other: Neither of the twins is here. Neither will do. Neither of them is incorrect.
conj.
1. Not either; not in either case. Used with the correlative conjunction nor: Neither we nor they want it. She neither called nor wrote. I got neither the gift nor the card.
2. Also not: If he won't go, neither will she.
adv.
Similarly not; also not: Just as you would not, so neither would they.

[Middle English, from Old English nāwther, nāhwæther (influenced by æghwæther, ægther, either) : , not; see ne in Indo-European roots + hwæther, which of two; see kwo- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: According to the traditional rule, neither is used only to mean "not one or the other of two." To refer to "none of several," none is preferred: None (not neither) of the three opposition candidates would make a better president than the incumbent. · The traditional rule also holds that neither is grammatically singular: Neither candidate is having an easy time with the press. However, it is often used with a plural verb, especially when followed by of and a plural: Neither of the candidates are really expressing their own views. · As a conjunction neither is properly followed by nor, not or, in formal style: Neither prayers nor curses (not or curses) did any good. See Usage Notes at either, every, he1, none, nor1, or1.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

neither

(ˈnaɪðə; ˈniːðə)
determiner
a. not one nor the other (of two); not either: neither foot is swollen.
b. (as pronoun): neither can win.
conj
(coordinating)
a. (used preceding alternatives joined by nor) not: neither John nor Mary nor Joe went.
b. another word for nor2
adv
(sentence modifier) not standard another word for either4
[C13 (literally, ne either not either): changed from Old English nāwther, from nāhwæther, from not + hwæther which of two; see whether]
Usage: A verb following a compound subject that uses neither… should be in the singular if both subjects are in the singular: neither Jack nor John has done the work
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

nei•ther

(ˈni ðər, ˈnaɪ-)

conj.
1. not either, as of persons or things specified (usu. fol. by nor): Neither John nor Betty is at home.
2. nor; nor yet; no more: Bob can't go; neither can I.
adj.
3. not either; not the one or the other: neither path.
pron.
4. not either; not one person or the other; not one thing or the other: Neither is to be trusted. Neither of the keys fits the lock.
[1150–1200; Middle English, =ne not + either either; replacing Middle English nawther, Old English nāwther, nāhwæther ( not, no1 + hwæther which of two; see whether)]
usage: When neither, a singular form, is followed by a prepositional phrase with a plural object, there is a tendency, esp. in speech and less formal writing, to use a plural verb and pronoun: Neither of the guards were at their stations. In edited writing, however, singular verbs and pronouns are more common: Neither of the guards was at his station. This use of a singular verb and pronoun is usually recommended by usage guides. Subjects connected by neither…nor take singular verbs and pronouns when both subjects are singular, plural when both are plural. Usage guides commonly say that when a singular and a plural subject are joined by these correlatives, the subject nearer the verb determines the verb: Neither the mayor nor the demonstrators have yielded. Neither the demonstrators nor the mayor has yielded. Practice varies, however, and often the presence of one plural subject, no matter what its position, results in a plural verb.
pron: See either.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

neither

1. 'neither' and 'neither of'

You use neither or neither of to make a negative statement about two people or things. You use neither in front of the singular form of a countable noun. You use neither of in front of a plural pronoun or a plural noun phrase beginning with the, these, those, or a possessive.

So, for example, you can say 'Neither child was hurt' or 'Neither of the children was hurt'. There is no difference in meaning.

Neither man spoke or moved.
Neither of them spoke for several moments.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'neither' without of in front of a plural form. Don't say, for example, 'Neither the children was hurt'. Also, don't use 'not' after neither. Don't say, for example, 'Neither of the children wasn't hurt'.

People sometimes use a plural form of a verb after neither of and a noun phrase. For example, they say 'Neither of the children were hurt'.

Neither of them are students.
Neither of them were listening.

This use is acceptable in conversation and in less formal writing, but in formal writing you should always use a singular form of a verb after neither of.

2. 'neither' in replies

When a negative statement has been made, you can use neither to show that this statement also applies to another person or thing. You put neither at the beginning of the clause, followed by an auxiliary verb, a modal, or be, then the subject. You can also use nor in the same way with the same meaning.

'I didn't invite them.' – 'Neither did I.'
If your printer does not work, neither will your fax or copier.
Douglas can't do it, and nor can Gavin.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.neither - not either; not one or the other
incomplete, uncomplete - not complete or total; not completed; "an incomplete account of his life"; "political consequences of incomplete military success"; "an incomplete forward pass"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
ani ... aniani jedennikdotaké nežádný
heller ikkehverken … elleringeningen afingen af dem
ei ..eikäei kumpikaankumpikaan
nijedanniti
egyik sem
hvorugur
・・・もまた・・・でないどちらも・・・でないどちらも・・・ないまた・・・でない
...도 ...도 아니다...도 또한 ...아니다어느 쪽도 ... 아니다어느것도~아니다
nei vienasnei... nei
neviens
ingeningenderainte heller
ไม่ใช่ทั้งสองไม่ทั้งสองต่างก็ไม่
cả hai đều khôngkhông cái nào trong hai cái

neither

[ˈnaɪðəʳ]
A. ADV neither ... norni ... ni
neither he nor I can goni él ni yo podemos ir
he neither smokes nor drinksni fuma ni bebe
that's neither here nor there (fig) → eso no viene al caso
B. CONJtampoco
if you aren't going, neither am Isi tú no vas, yo tampoco
"I don't like it" - "neither do I"-a mí no me gusta -a mí tampoco
neither will he agree to sell itni consiente en venderlo tampoco
C. PRON neither of them has any moneyninguno de los dos tiene dinero, ni el uno ni el otro tiene dinero
neither of them saw itni el uno ni el otro lo vio
D. ADJninguno de los/las dos
neither car is for saleninguno de los dos coches está a la venta
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

neither

[ˈniːðər ˈnaɪðər]
adjaucun(e) des deux
Neither team can appear too confident → Aucune des deux équipes ne peut se montrer trop confiante.
pronni l'un(e) ni l'autre
Carrots or peas? - Neither, thanks → Des carottes ou des petits pois? - Ni l'un ni l'autre merci.
Neither of them is coming → Aucun des deux ne vient.
conj
neither do I → moi non plus
I don't like him. - Neither do I! → Je ne l'aime pas. - Moi non plus!
I never learned to swim and neither did they → Je n'ai jamais appris à nager et eux non plus.
and neither do ... → et .... non plus
I didn't move and neither did Claude → Je n'ai pas bougé et Claude non plus.
Britain does not agree and neither do Denmark, Portugal and Ireland → La Grande-Bretagne n'est pas d'accord, et le Danemark, le Portugal et l'Irlande non plus.
neither have I → moi non plus
I've never been to Spain. - Neither have I → Je ne suis jamais allé en Espagne. - Moi non plus.
adv
neither ... nor ... → ni ... ni ...
Neither Sarah nor Tamsin is coming to the party → Ni Sarah ni Tamsin ne vient à la soirée.
neither good nor bad → ni bon ni mauvais
neither here nor there (= irrelevant)
That is neither here nor there → Là n'est pas la question.
Whether or not he realised the fact was neither here nor there → Qu'il ait été conscient ou non du fait, là n'était pas la question.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

neither

adv neither … norweder … noch; he neither knows nor careser weiß es nicht und will es auch nicht wissen
conjauch nicht; if you don’t go, neither shall Iwenn du nicht gehst, gehe ich auch nicht; I’m not going — neither am Iich gehe nicht — ich auch nicht; he didn’t do it (and) neither did his sisterweder er noch seine Schwester haben es getan; I can’t go, neither do I want toich kann und will auch nicht gehen
adjkeine(r, s) (der beiden); neither one of themkeiner von beiden; in neither casein keinem Fall, weder in dem einen noch in dem anderen Fall
pronkeine(r, s); neither of themkeiner von beiden; which will you take? — neitherwelches nehmen Sie? — keines (von beiden)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

neither

[ˈnaɪðəʳ]
1. adv
neither he nor I can go → né io né lui possiamo andare
neither good nor bad → buono/a né cattivo/a
he neither smokes nor drinks → non fumabeve
he likes neither the house nor the people → non gli piace né la casa né la gente
that's neither here nor there (fig) → questo non c'entra
2. conjneanche, nemmeno, neppure
if you aren't going, neither am I → se tu non ci vai, non ci vado neanch'io or nemmeno io
I don't like it - neither do I → non mi piace - nemmeno a me
I didn't move and neither did he → io non mi mossi e nemmeno lui
...neither did I refuse → ... ma non ho nemmeno rifiutato
3. adj on neither sidené da una parte né dall'altra
neither story is true → nessuna delle due storie è vera
4. pronné l'uno/a né l'altro/a, nessuno/a dei/delle due
neither of them has any money → né l'uno né l'altro or nessuno dei due ha soldi, non hanno soldi né l'uno né l'altro
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

neither

(ˈnaiðə) , ((especially American) ˈni:ðə(r)) adjective, pronoun
not the one nor the other (of two things or people). Neither window faces the sea; Neither of them could understand Italian.
neither … nor
used to introduce alternatives which are both negative. Neither John nor David could come; He can neither read nor write.

As with either … or , the verb usually follows the noun or pronoun that comes closest to it: Neither Kate nor Susan is responsible ; Neither she nor her children speak English .
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

neither

لَا هَذَا وَلَا ذَاكَ, لا....ولا, لَا...وَلَا ani ... ani, ani jeden, také ne, žádný ze dvou heller ikke, hverken … eller, ingen af, ingen af dem auch nicht, keiner, keiner von beiden κανείς από τους δύο, κανένας από τους δύο, μήτε, ούτε … ούτε ni, ningún, ninguno, ninguno de los dos, tampoco ei ..eikä, ei kumpikaan, kumpikaan aucun, aucun des deux, ni … ni, non plus nijedan, niti , neanche, nessuno dei due ・・・もまた・・・でない, どちらも・・・でない, どちらも・・・ない, また・・・でない ...도 ...도 아니다, ...도 또한 ...아니다, 어느 쪽도 ... 아니다, 어느것도~아니다 evenmin, geen van beide, noch… noch heller, heller ikke, ingen, ingen av dem ani, również nie, żaden nem, nenhum, tampouco ни один, никакой ingen, ingendera, inte heller ไม่ใช่ทั้งสอง, ไม่ทั้งสอง, ต่างก็ไม่ hiçbir, hiçbiri, ne o, ne bu cả hai đều không, không cái nào trong hai cái, không phải cái này mà cũng không phải cái kia 两者都不, 既不...也不
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
It follows plainly, in the first place, that the change, of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity: for this moves neither pity nor fear; it merely shocks us.
These pairs of contraries have intermediates: the intermediates between white and black are grey, sallow, and all the other colours that come between; the intermediate between good and bad is that which is neither the one nor the other.
Then Lina said to Fundevogel: 'If you will never leave me, I too will never leave you.' Fundevogel said: 'Neither now, nor ever will I leave you.' Then said Lina: 'Then will I tell you.
Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained.
He put aside his bow, and went neither to fight nor to hunt, but from sunrise to sunset he sat by the place where she was laid, thinking of his happiness that was buried there.
Her Language was neither warm, nor affectionate, her expressions of regard were neither animated nor cordial; her arms were not opened to receive me to her Heart, tho' my own were extended to press her to mine.
The desire of power in excess, caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge in excess, caused man to fall: but in charity there is no excess; neither can angel, nor man, come in dan ger by it.
A long silence followed--how long neither would afterward undertake to say.
Neither, if we mean our future guardians to regard the habit of quarrelling among themselves as of all things the basest, should any word be said to them of the wars in heaven, and of the plots and fightings of the gods against one another, for they are not true.
Neither the pride nor the safety of the more important States or confederacies would permit them long to submit to this mortifying and adventitious superiority.
And so, as king of the country, apprehended the said Mr Allan, and carried him to the house of Denure, where for a season he was honourably treated, (gif a prisoner can think any entertainment pleasing;) but after that certain days were spent, and that the Earl could not obtain the feus of Crossraguel according to his awin appetite, he determined to prove gif a collation could work that which neither dinner nor supper could do for a long time.
They beheld me with all the marks and circumstances of wonder; neither indeed was I much in their debt, having never till then seen a race of mortals so singular in their shapes, habits, and countenances.