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both. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
both, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
both in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
both you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Alternative forms
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.
Pronunciation
Determiner
both
- Each of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.
Both children are such dolls.
Which one do you need? – I need both of them.
1717, Viscount Bolingbroke, Reflexions upon Exile: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.
Usage notes
This word does not come between a possessive and its head noun. Say both (of) my hands, not *my both hands. Say, both (of) the king's horses, not *the king's both horses.
Derived terms
Translations
each of two; one and the other
- Albanian: të dy (sq)
- Arabic: كِلَا (ar) (kilā)
- Egyptian Arabic: الاتنين (letnīn)
- Belarusian: або́два m pl (abódva), абе́дзве f pl (abjédzvje), або́е m pl or f pl or n pl (abóje)
- Bulgarian: и двамата m (i dvamata), и двете f (i dvete)
- Catalan: ambdós (ca), tots dos
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: ...都 (...dōu), 雙方/双方 (zh) (shuāngfāng), 倆/俩 (zh) (liǎ), 兩/两 (zh) (liǎng)
- Czech: oba (cs)
- Danish: begge (da)
- Dutch: beide (nl), beiden (nl), allebei (nl), allebeide, alletwee (nl)
- Esperanto: ambaŭ (eo)
- Estonian: mõlemad (et) pl
- Faroese: báðir m pl
- Finnish: molemmat (fi) pl, kumpikin (fi) sg
- French: tous les deux (fr) pl, les deux (fr), tout deux
- Galician: ambos (gl), amos
- Georgian: ორივე (orive)
- German: beide (de)
- Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌹 (bai), 𐌱𐌰𐌾𐍉𐌸𐍃 m pl (bajōþs)
- Greek: αμφότεροι (el) m pl or f pl or n pl (amfóteroi)
- Ancient: ἀμφότερος (amphóteros)
- Gujarati: બંને (banne)
- Hebrew: שני (he) m pl
- Hindi: दोनों (hi) (donõ)
- Hungarian: (as an adjective) mindkét (hu), mind a két, (in place of the whole noun phrase) mindkettő (hu), mind a kettő
- Icelandic: bæði (is); báðir (is) m pl, báðar (is) f pl, bæði (is) n pl
- Ido: ambe (io), omna du, omni du
- Indonesian: keduanya
- Interlingua: ambe
- Irish: araon
- Italian: sia (it), entrambi (it), tutti e due m, tutte e due f, ambedue (it)
- Japanese: 両方 (ja) (りょうほう, ryōhō), 両- (ryō-), (of two people only) どちらも (dochira mo), 双方 (ja) (そうほう, sōhō)
- Kazakh: екеуі (ekeuı)
- Korean: 둘 다 (dul da), 양쪽의 (ko) (yangjjogui), 쌍방 (ko) (ssangbang)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: ھەردو (herdu)
- Lao: please add this translation if you can
- Latin: ambō (la) m, ambae f, ambō (la) n
- Latvian: abi (lv)
- Lithuanian: abu (lt)
- Macedonian: обата m (obata), двата m (dvata)
- Malay: kedua-dua (ms), kededua (Singapore), dedua
- North Frisian: biise
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: begge (no)
- Nynorsk: begge, båe
- Occitan: ambedós (oc), totes dos
- Old English: bēġen
- Old Prussian: abbai
- Pashto: دواړه (ps) (dwâṛa)
- Persian: هر دو (har do), هردو (fa) (hardo)
- Polish: oba (pl), oboje (pl), obie (pl) f pl, obaj (pl) m pl, obydwaj (pl), obydwoje (pl) (rare), obydwa (pl) m pl, obydwie (pl) f pl
- Portuguese: ambos (pt)
- Romanian: ambii (ro) m, ambele f, amândoi (ro), amândouă f
- Russian: о́ба (ru) m pl or n pl (óba), о́бе (ru) f pl (óbe)
- Sanskrit: उभौ (ubhau)
- Scots: baith
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: о̏ба m, о̏бје f, о̏бе f
- Roman: ȍba (sh) m, ȍbje (sh) f, ȍbe f
- Slovak: obidva, obidvaja m anim pl
- Slovene: oba (sl) m, obe f
- Spanish: ambos (es), los dos, entrambos (es) m pl
- Swedish: båda (sv), bägge (sv), ömse (sv)
- Telugu: రెండూ (reṇḍū), ఇద్దరు (te) (iddaru)
- Thai: ทั้งสอง (táng sɔ̌ɔng)
- Tocharian B: antapi
- Turkish: her ikisi (de), ikisi (de)
- Ukrainian: оби́два m pl or n pl (obýdva), оби́дві f pl (obýdvi), обо́є m pl or f pl or n pl (obóje)
- Urdu: دونوں (donõ)
- Vietnamese: cả hai
- Welsh: y ddau m, y ddwy f
- West Frisian: beide, allebeide
- Yiddish: ביידע (beyde)
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Pronoun
both
- Each of the two, or of the two kinds.
"Did you want this one or that one?" — "Give me both."
They were both here.
2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34: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.
Conjunction
both
- Including both of (used with and).
- Both you and I are students.
1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN:Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. There was a great deal of them, lavish both in material and in workmanship.
- (obsolete) Including all of (used with and).
1598, Philip Sidney, The countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia, page 211:[…] having much aduantage both in number, valure, and forepreparation […]
1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], The Vicar of Wakefield: , volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), Salisbury, Wiltshire: B. Collins, for F Newbery, , →OCLC; reprinted London: Elliot Stock, 1885, →OCLC:Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound.
1892, Richard Congreve, Essays Political, Social, and Religious, volume 2, page 615:[…] 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.
Translations
both...and...
- Arabic: كل من ... و ... (kullun min ... wa ...)
- Armenian: ե՛ւ ... ե՛ւ ... (hy) (éw ... éw ...)
- Catalan: tant ... com ...
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 既……又…… (jì... yòu...), 又……又…… (yòu... yòu...)
- Danish: både...og... (da)
- Dutch: zowel ... als ...
- Esperanto: kaj ... kaj ...
- Finnish: sekä ... että
- French: please add this translation if you can
- German: sowohl ... als auch (de)
- Greek: και... και... (kai... kai...)
- Ancient: καὶ... καὶ... (kaì... kaì...)
- Hindi: दोनों ... और ... (donõ ... aur ...)
- Hungarian: mind..., mind...
- Irish: idir... agus..., ... agus ... le chéile
- Italian: sia (it)... sia...
- Japanese: …でもあり…でもある (...demo ari...demo aru), …でも…でも (...demo ...demo)
- Latin: et...et...
- Macedonian: и... и... (i... i...)
- Norwegian: både ... og ...
- Old English: ġe... ġe...
- Persian: هم... هم... (fa)
- Polish: zarówno..., jak i... i..., i...
- Portuguese: ambos ... e ..., tanto ... quanto ...
- Romanian: atât ... cât și ...
- Russian: и... и... (i... i...)
- Scottish Gaelic: an dà chuid... agus...
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: оба m, обе f
- Roman: oba (sh) m, obe f
- Slovene: tako ... kot ...
- Spanish: tanto... como...
- Swedish: både ... och (sv), såväl ... som
- Turkish: hem... hem...
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Quotations
See also
various semantically related terms
Anagrams
Irish
Etymology
From Old Irish both (“hut, cabin”), from Proto-Celtic *butā (compare Middle Welsh bot (“dwelling”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to be”). Related to English booth.
Pronunciation
Noun
both f (genitive singular botha, nominative plural bothanna or botha)
- booth, hut
Declension
- Alternative declension
Derived terms
Mutation
Irish mutation
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Radical
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Lenition
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Eclipsis
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both
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bhoth
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mboth
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Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
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References
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “both”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- Entries containing “both” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 both”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Middle English
Etymology 1
Noun
both
- Alternative form of bothe (“booth”)
Etymology 2
Determiner
both
- Alternative form of bothe (“both”)
Pronoun
both
- Alternative form of bothe (“both”)
Conjunction
both
- Alternative form of bothe (“both”)
Old Irish
Pronunciation
Noun
both f (genitive buithe)
- Alternative form of buith
Inflection
Feminine ā-stem
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Singular
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Dual
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Plural
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Nominative
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bothL
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—
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—
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Vocative
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bothL
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—
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—
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Accusative
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buithN
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—
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—
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Genitive
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buitheH
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—
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—
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Dative
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buithL
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—
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—
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Initial mutations of a following adjective:
- H = triggers aspiration
- L = triggers lenition
- N = triggers nasalization
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Verb
·both
- preterite passive conjunct of at·tá
Welsh
Etymology
Probably ultimately from Proto-Celtic *buzdos (“tail, penis”) perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gʷosdʰos (“piece of wood”) (compare Proto-Slavic *gvozdь (“nail, tack, peg”)). Cognates include Cornish both (“hump, stud”), Breton bod (“bush, shrub”), Irish bod (“penis”), Manx bod (“penis”) and Manx bwoid (“penis”).
Pronunciation
Noun
both f (plural bothau)
- (transport) hub of a wheel, nave
- Synonyms: bogail, bŵl
Mutation
References
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “both”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies