either (English)

Where does "either" come from?

The word 'either' traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey-, a root linked to the concepts of vital force, life, and age. It evolved through Proto-West Germanic as *aiw before becoming the Old English ǣġhwæþer, a term signifying 'each of two.' Over centuries, this shifted from a reflection of lifetime and eternity to the familiar conjunction we use today to denote a choice between alternatives.

Full etymology tree

• either (English), 'As well.'
  • inherited either (Middle English), 'Both of two.'
    • inherited ægþer (Old English), 'each (of two)'
      • contraction æghwæþer (Old English), 'each (of two)'
        • compound æġ- (Old English), 'ever; every, each, all, denotes universality (forms pronouns and adverbs)'
          • inherited *aiw (Proto-West Germanic), 'long time, age, eternity'
            • inherited *aiwaz (Proto-Germanic), 'long time, age, eternity'
              • inherited *h₂óyu (Proto-Indo-European), 'long time, lifetime'
                • inherited *h₂ey- (Proto-Indo-European), 'vital force, life, age, eternity'
        • compound -hwæþer (Old English)
          • inherited ġehwæþer (Old English), 'both'
            • inherited *gahwaþar (Proto-West Germanic), 'both, each (of two)'
              • compound *ga- (Proto-West Germanic), 'used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating completeness or perfectivity'
              • compound *hwaþar (Proto-West Germanic), 'which (of two, interrogative)'

Direct ancestors

• h₂ey- (Proto-Indo-European)
• either (Middle English)
• aiw (Proto-West Germanic)
• eogihwethar (Old Saxon)
• ieder (Dutch)
• jeder (German)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris