both meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

both

det

UK [bəʊθ] · US [boʊθ]

Etymology From Middle English bothe, boþe, from Old English bā þā (“both the; both those”) and possibly reinforced by Old Norse báðir, from Proto-Germanic *bai. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bee (“both”), West Frisian beide (“both”), Dutch beide (“both”), German beide (“both”), Swedish både, båda, Danish både, Norwegian både, Icelandic báðir. Replaced Middle English bō, from Old English bā, a form of Old English bēġen. A remnant of the Indo-European dual grammatical number.

1

Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.

Both (the/my) children are such dolls.
Which one do you need? ―I need both of them.

4 more examples

Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 21:27:
He will not bear the loss of his rank, because he can bear the loss of his estate; but he will bear both, because he is prepared for both.1717, Viscount Bolingbroke, Reflexions upon Exile:
Around a third of both Black and White respondents said they believed the opposition Labour Party to be institutionally racist.2020 June 22, Rob Picheta, “Most Black British people think the Conservative Party is institutionally racist, CNN poll finds”, in CNN:
The proof (Tables 9 and 10) of idempotence for both OR and AND follows from examining the definition of each operation under the constraint that both inputs have the same value.2022 August 4, William Bahn, “Boolean Algebra Laws—Delving Into Boolean Identities”, in All About Circuits:

Derived terms: 41 terms
bat for both sides, best of both worlds, both-and, both barrels, both-handed, both-handedly, both-handedness, both of ours, both of theirs, both of yours, both-sided, both-sidedness, bothsiderism, both-sides, both-sidesism, both … and, burn one's candle at both ends, burn the candle at both ends, butter one's bread on both sides, cut both ways, find one's ass with both hands and a flashlight, go both ways, God doesn't give with both hands, grip oneself with both hands, have a foot in both camps, have it both ways, have one's bread buttered on both sides, hear both sides, jump in with both feet, look both ways, make both ends meet, not have both oars in the water, out of both sides of one's mouth, play both ends against the middle, play both sides against the middle, swing both ways, take one's courage in both hands, with both hands, work both ends against the middle, work both sides against the middle, worst of both worlds

both

pron

Etymology From Middle English bothe, boþe, from Old English bā þā (“both the; both those”) and possibly reinforced by Old Norse báðir, from Proto-Germanic *bai. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bee (“both”), West Frisian beide (“both”), Dutch beide (“both”), German beide (“both”), Swedish både, båda, Danish både, Norwegian både, Icelandic báðir. Replaced Middle English bō, from Old English bā, a form of Old English bēġen. A remnant of the Indo-European dual grammatical number.

1

Each of the two, or of the two kinds.

Did you want this one or that one? ―Give me both.
They were both here.

2 more examples

I've already lost both (of) my parents.
Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34:

both

conj

Etymology From Middle English bothe, boþe, from Old English bā þā (“both the; both those”) and possibly reinforced by Old Norse báðir, from Proto-Germanic *bai. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bee (“both”), West Frisian beide (“both”), Dutch beide (“both”), German beide (“both”), Swedish både, båda, Danish både, Norwegian både, Icelandic báðir. Replaced Middle English bō, from Old English bā, a form of Old English bēġen. A remnant of the Indo-European dual grammatical number.

1

Including both of (used with and).

I (can) both sing and dance.
Both you and I are students.

1 more example

Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. There was a great deal of them, lavish both in material and in workmanship.1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN:

2

Obsolete Including all of (used with and).

[…] having much aduantage both in number, valure, and forepreparation […]1598, Philip Sidney, The countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia, page 211:
Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound.1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], The Vicar of Wakefield: […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Salisbury, Wiltshire: […] B. Collins, for F[rancis] Newbery, […], →OCLC:

2 more examples

He prayeth well who loveth well both man and bird and beast.1797–1798 (date written), [Samuel Taylor Coleridge], “The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere”, in Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, London: […] J[ohn] & A[rthur] Arch, […], published 1798, →OCLC:
[…] as he appreciates its beauty and its rich gifts, as he regards it with venerant love, fed by both his intellectual powers, his contemplation, and his meditation.1892, Richard Congreve, Essays Political, Social, and Religious, volume 2, page 615:

Related terms: 2, 2nd, couple, double, dual, neither, pair, second, twice, two