both
[ bohth ]
/ boʊθ /
adjective
one and the other; two together: He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled.
pronoun
the one as well as the other: Both of us were going to the party.
conjunction
alike; equally: He is both ready and willing.
Origin of both
1125–75; Middle English
bothe, bathe, influenced by Scandinavian (compare Old Norse
bāthir both; cognate with German, Dutch
beide, Gothic
ba tho skipa both (the) ships, Old High German
bêde <
*bai thai); replacing Middle English
bo, ba, Old English
bā; cognate with Gothic
bai; akin to Latin
ambō, Greek
ámphō, Lithuanian
abù, Sanskrit
ubháu
Words nearby both
botch,
botchy,
bote,
botel,
botfly,
both,
both barrels, with,
both feet on the ground, with,
both ways,
botha,
botham
Example sentences from the Web for both
British Dictionary definitions for both
both
/ (bəʊθ) /
determiner
- the two; two considered togetherboth dogs were dirty
- (as pronoun)both are to blame
conjunction
(coordinating)
used preceding words, phrases, or clauses joined by and, used to emphasize that not just one, but also the other of the joined elements is included
both Ellen and Keith enjoyed the play; both new and exciting
Word Origin for both
C12: from Old Norse
bāthir; related to Old High German
bēde, Latin
ambō, Greek
amphō
Idioms and Phrases with both
both