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

Example sentences from the Web for both

British Dictionary definitions for both

both
/ (bəʊθ) /

determiner

  1. the two; two considered togetherboth dogs were dirty
  2. (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