neither

neither
[[t]na͟ɪðə(r), ni͟ːðə(r)[/t]]
♦♦
1) CONJ-COORD-NEG You use neither in front of the first of two or more words or expressions when you are linking two or more things which are not true or do not happen. The other thing is introduced by `nor'.

Professor Hisamatsu spoke neither English nor German...

The play is neither as funny nor as disturbing as Tabori thinks it is.

2) DET-NEG You use neither to refer to each of two things or people, when you are making a negative statement that includes both of them.

At first, neither man could speak.

QUANT-NEG
Neither is also a quantifier.

Neither of us felt like going out.

PRON-NEG
Neither is also a pronoun.

They both smiled; neither seemed likely to be aware of my absence for long.

3) CONJ-COORD-NEG If you say that one person or thing does not do something and neither does another, what you say is true of all the people or things that you are mentioning.

I never learned to swim and neither did they...

Britain does not agree and neither do Denmark, Portugal and Ireland.

Syn:
4) CONJ-COORD-NEG You use neither after a negative statement to emphasize that you are introducing another negative statement. [FORMAL]

I can't ever recall Dad hugging me. Neither did I sit on his knee.

Syn:
5) PHRASE: v-link PHR If you say that something is neither here nor there, you mean that it does not matter because it is not a relevant point.

`I'd never heard of her before I came here.' - `That is neither here nor there.'...

Whether or not he realised the fact was neither here nor there.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:
,


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  • neither — 1. pronunciation. Both pronunciations, niy dhǝ and nee dhǝ, are about equally common. 2. parts of speech. Neither functions in two ways: as an adjective or pronoun, and as an adverb or conjunction. a) adjective and pronoun. Neither means ‘not the …   Modern English usage

  • Neither — Nei ther, conj. Not either; generally used to introduce the first of two or more co[ o]rdinate clauses of which those that follow begin with nor. [1913 Webster] Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king. 1 Kings xxii. 31. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • neither — [nē′thər, nī′thər] adj., pron. [ME naither, altered (by assoc. with eyther, EITHER) < nauther < OE na hwæther, lit., not whether (see NO1, WHETHER), not either of two] not one or the other (of two); not either [neither boy went; neither of… …   English World dictionary

  • Neither — Nei ther (n[=e] [th][ e]r or n[imac] [th][ e]r; 277), a. [OE. neither, nother, nouther, AS. n[=a]w[eth]er, n[=a]hw[ae][eth]er; n[=a] never, not + hw[ae][eth]er whether. The word has followed the form of either. See {No}, and {Whether}, and cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Neither Am I — Studio album by Bell X1 Released October 13, 2000 …   Wikipedia

  • neither — (conj.) O.E. nawþer, contraction of nahwæþer, lit. not of two, from na no (see NO (Cf. no)) + hwæþer which of two (see WHETHER (Cf. whether)). Spelling altered c.1200 by association with either. Paired with NOR (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • neither — ► DETERMINER & PRONOUN ▪ not the one nor the other of two people or things; not either. ► ADVERB 1) used before the first of two (or occasionally more) alternatives (the others being introduced by ‘nor’) to indicate that they are each untrue or… …   English terms dictionary

  • neither — nei|ther [ niðər, naıðər ] function word, quantifier *** Neither can be used in the following ways: as a way of showing how a sentence or clause is related to what has already been said: I can t play tennis, but neither can you. as a conjunction… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • neither */*/*/ — UK [ˈnaɪðə(r)] / UK [ˈniːðə(r)] / US [ˈnɪðər] / US [ˈnaɪðər] conjunction, determiner, pronoun Summary: Neither can be used in the following ways: as a way of showing how a sentence or clause is related to what has already been said: I can t play… …   English dictionary

  • neither — /nee dheuhr, nuy /, conj. 1. not either, as of persons or things specified (usually fol. by nor): Neither John nor Betty is at home. 2. nor; nor yet; no more: Bob can t go, and neither can I. If she doesn t want it, neither do I. adj. 3. not… …   Universalium

  • neither — nei|ther1 W3 [ˈnaıðə US ˈni:ðər] determiner, pron not one or the other of two people or things →↑either ▪ Would you like tea or coffee? Neither, thanks. ▪ It was a game in which neither team deserved to win. neither of ▪ Neither of them can cook …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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