both

both
\ \ [12] The Old English word for ‘both’ was bēgen (masculine; the feminine and neuter form was ), a relative of a wide range of Indo- European words denoting ‘each of two’, including the second syllables of Old Slavic oba and Latin ambō (represented in English ambidextrous). Most Germanic languages extended the base form by adding -d or -th (as in German beideboth’). In the case of Old Norse, this produced bāthir, the form from which English acquired both.
\ \ Cf.AMBIDEXTROUS

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
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  • both — 1. general. Both, when modifying a single item, refers to two things or persons (both houses / both women); when, as both…and…, it couples two items, each of these may be singular (both the woman and the man) or plural (both the women and the… …   Modern English usage

  • both — [ bouθ ] function word, quantifier *** Both can be used in the following ways: as a determiner (followed by a noun, but not by a pronoun): Both children are at school. as a predeterminer (followed by a word such as the, this, his, etc.): I like… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Both — Both, a. or pron. [OE. bothe, ba?e, fr. Icel. b[=a]?ir; akin to Dan. baade, Sw. b[*a]da, Goth. baj??s, OHG. beid?, b?d?, G. & D. beide, also AS. begen, b[=a], b?, Goth. bai, and Gr. ?, L. ambo, Lith. ab[ a], OSlav. oba, Skr. ubha. [root]310. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Both — ist der Name eines mecklenburgischen Uradelsgeschlechtes, siehe Both (Adelsgeschlecht) Both ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Andries Both (1612/1613–1641), holländischer Maler Carl Friedrich von Both (1789–1875), deutscher Jurist und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Both — Both, conj. As well; not only; equally. [1913 Webster] Note: Both precedes the first of two co[ o]rdinate words or phrases, and is followed by and before the other, both . . . and . . .; as well the one as the other; not only this, but also that; …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • both — [bōth] adj., pron. [ME bothe < OE ba tha, both these < ba, fem. nom. & acc. of begen, both + tha, nom. & acc. pl. of se, that, the: akin to ON bathir, OS bethia, MDu bede, Ger beide: see AMBI ] the two; the one and the other [both birds… …   English World dictionary

  • both — there are several theories, all similar, and deriving the word from the tendency to say both the. One is that it is O.E. begen (masc.) both (from P.Gmc. *ba, from PIE *bho both ) + þ extended base. Another traces it to the P.Gmc. formula… …   Etymology dictionary

  • both — ► PREDETERMINER , DETERMINER , & PRONOUN ▪ two people or things, regarded and identified together. ► ADVERB ▪ applying equally to each of two alternatives. ● have it both ways Cf. ↑have it both ways USAGE When both is …   English terms dictionary

  • both´er|er — both|er «BOTH uhr», noun, verb, interjection. –n. 1. much fuss or worry about small matters; trouble: »What a lot of bother about nothing! SYNONYM(S): disturbance. 2. a person or thing that causes worry, fuss, or trouble: »A door that will not… …   Useful english dictionary

  • both|er — «BOTH uhr», noun, verb, interjection. –n. 1. much fuss or worry about small matters; trouble: »What a lot of bother about nothing! SYNONYM(S): disturbance. 2. a person or thing that causes worry, fuss, or trouble: »A door that will not shut is a… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Both [1] — Both, 1) ein Bündel Flachs; 2) Weinmaß, so v.w. Bota …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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