▪ I. † outher, a. pron. Obs. exc. dial.
Forms: α. 1 áhwæðer, áwðer, áuðer, áðer; 4–5 north. awþer, auþer, 5 auther, -ir, 4– ather. β. 3–5 owþer, 3 (Orm.) owwþerr, 4 ouþer, -ir, 4–6 outher, owther (also 9 dial.), 5 owþir, -ere, owdir, 5–6 outhir, owthir, 6 owthyr, ouyer (= ouþer), ouder.
[OE. áwðer, áuðer, áðer, contr. from áhwæðer, lit. ‘whichever of the two’, ‘either of the two’, ‘one or other’, L. utercumque, utervis; f. á ever + hwæðer? which of the two? L. uter? Thence the northern ME. forms. The ME. owþer, outher, points to an OE. óhwæðer, ówðer, f. ó ever: cf. the parallel óhwǽr = áhwǽr, etc.]
1. One or other (of two); either: = either A. 4. a. as pron. After the OE. period chiefly north. or north-midl.
In quot. c 1000 = One or another of all, any one whatsoever.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. vi, Þæt mod..þær þissa tweᵹa yfela auðer ricsað. c 893 ― Oros. iii. ix. §13 ær heora aðer mehte on oþrum siᵹe ᵹeræcan. c 897 ― Gregory's Past. xiv. 86 ᵹif he auðer ðissa forlæt. a 1000 Riddles lxxxv. 22 Ne uncer awðer. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Th.) lv. 4 (also cxvii. 6) Nis me eᵹe mannes for ahwæðer. c 1200 Ormin 2507 All þatt tatt owwþerr hĕre comm Off sellþe & off unnsellþe. Ibid. 9352 ær þann þe Laferrd Jesu Crist Bigann owwþerr to donne. c 1230 Hali Meid. 35 Aðat owðer of ham twa ear lose oðer. 13.. Cursor M. 21949 (Gött.) For ouþer [Cott. ooþer, Fairf. auþer] of þaim we most for-ga For mai na man haue heuens tua. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 36 Nouþir is wel servaunt to ouþir. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxi. 96 Þai er mykill lesse þan owþer of þe oþer. a 1450 Le Morte Arthur 2013 Nys man in erthe..Shall..pees make, Er outher of vs haue other slayne. |
b. In OE. used anticipatively to introduce the two (or more) members of an alternative, thus áwðer (or áðer) oððe..oððe.., i.e. either (of the two, or of these), either..or... Cf. the similar use of óðer, other adj. pron. B. 1 b.
In this use áwðer often became quite adverbial, i.e. when the alternative members to which it referred were not ns. It thus resembled the modern either in ‘either on land or on sea’ (exc. in being followed by oððe, which itself had the place and force of ‘either’). In quot. c 1000, auðer follows the alternative clause: cf. either B. 5. other conj. B. 2.
| c 880 Laws of ælfred Introd. 9 Awðer oððe on Ines dæᵹe, mines mæᵹes, oððe on Offan, Myrcena cyninges, oððe on æðelbryhtes. c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xl. §2 ælc wyrd is nyt þara þe auðer deð, oððe lærð oððe wyrcð. Ibid. xli. §5 Forᵹifen..auþer oððe hrorum neatum oððe unhrorum. c 893 ― Oros. i. i. §18 Eal þæt his man aþer oððe ettan oððe erian mæᵹ. Ibid. vi. xxxii. §3 Þa oferhoᵹode he þæt he him aðer dyde, oþþe wiernde, oþþe tiᵹþade. a 900 ― Solil. (1902) 37 Hwæt wille ic ma cwæðan aðer oððe be mete, oððe be drince, oððe be baðe, oððe be welan, oððe be wyrðscype? c 1000 Boeth. Metr. xx. 42 Næs æror þe æneᵹu ᵹesceaft þe auht oððe nauht auðer worhte. |
c. as adj.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. xiv. §2 Heora þeh wurdon feawa to lafe on aðre hand. 1571 Satir. Poems Reform. xxvi. 78 Bot puneis all the quhilk ye knaw vnclene Of outher blude, and quyte yame for yair meids. |
2. Each (of two): = either A. 2. north. rare.
| 1472 Presentm. Juries in Surtees Misc. (1888) 24 And outhir drewe blode of othir. |
▪ II. outher, adv. (conj.) Now dial.
(ˈaʊðə(r), ˈɒðə(r))
Forms: see prec.
[The neuter or uninflected form of outher pron., used advb. to emphasize an alternative, and thence sometimes conjunctively.]
1. An early equivalent of either B. 3. a. In the connexion outher..or.. (now dial.), outher..other.. (obs.). (Cf. prec. 1 b.)
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 94 Ouþer in word or dede has þou greued him. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1651 He es outher clomsed or wode. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 702 Wonde þer bot lyte Þat auþer God oþer gome wyth goud hert louied. c 1375 Cursor M. 14859 (Fairf.) Auþer to deye or to liue. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 332 Owther schal he deie or I Withinne a while. c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camden) xxxix, Authir to gentilmen or to schrewis. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. xvii. 395 This..muste outhir be doon bi hem..or bi othere persoones. c 1450 Lonelich Grail xli. 290 As thowgh it hadde ben Owther led Oþer ston. 1485 Caxton Paris & V. 4 They love outher you or me. 1513 Douglas æneis ix. v. 171 The chans turnis, ouder to weyll or wo. 1530 Palsgr. Introd. 32 Outher in S..or in one of these thre letters T, U or V. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 142 Than suld we outher do or die. a 1584 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 454 Be tane, And outhir hurt or slane. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Owther, conj. pr. of Either. |
† b. In the connexion outher..outher..: see 2.
2. conj. = or. (Chiefly in ouþer..ouþer.) rare.
| a 1400 Serm. in Rel. Ant. II. 42 In myraclis..þat Crist dude..outher in hymself outher in hise seyntis. a 1425 Chaucer's Can. Yeom. T. 596 (Harl. MS.) I-maad ouþer of chalk ouþer of glas [Ellesm. ouþer..or, Camb. oþir..oþir]. a 1425 Cursor M. 9662 (Trin.) Wiþouten mercy ouþer [Laud oþir] reuthe. |