neither: [13] Despite the two words’ similarity, neither is not just either with a negative prefix tacked on. It comes ultimately from Old English nāhwæther ‘neither’, a compound formed from nā ‘not’ (which survives as no in modern English ‘whether or no’) and hwæther ‘which of two’ (ancestor of modern English whether). In the late Old English period it was contracted to nawther, and in Middle English, under the influence of either, this became transformed into neither. => whether
neither (conj.)
Old English nawþer, contraction of nahwæþer, literally "not of two," from na "no" (see no) + hwæþer "which of two" (see whether). Spelling altered c. 1200 by association with either. Paired with nor from c. 1300; earlier with ne. Also used in Old English as a pronoun. As an adjective, mid-14c.
实用例句
1. The report concludes that I acted neither fraudulently nor improperly.
报告最后认为我的行为既没有欺骗性也没有任何不妥。来自柯林斯例句
2. They can neither read nor write, nor can they comprehend such concepts.
他们不会读，不会写，也理解不了这样的概念。来自柯林斯例句
3. That, if you'll pardon my saying so, is neither here nor there.
恕我直言，那根本就不重要。来自柯林斯例句
4. I have received neither an acknowledgment nor a reply.
我未收到任何复函或答复。来自柯林斯例句
5. I take it that neither of you reads "The Times"
