What does nither mean?
Nither is an uncommon English adverb meaning “neither” or “not either.” It appears especially in paired constructions with “nor,” as in “nither one nor the other,” where it helps emphasize the refusal or impossibility of choosing between two alternatives. Its sound and meaning make it recognizable, but standard speakers almost always use “neither” instead. Nither is therefore chiefly encountered in literary writing, older texts, poetry, or regional speech rather than in everyday formal English. Although it can occasionally occur as a noun in the sense of “neither one,” that use is also archaic or dialectal. The word is worth knowing as a traditional alternative to “neither,” not as a replacement for it in modern standard usage.
Neither; not either, especially when paired with “nor” to reject or exclude two alternatives.
"The evidence pointed nither to deliberate cruelty nor to simple misfortune."
Literary, archaic, or regional; standard modern English normally uses “neither.”
Neither person or thing in a pair; neither one.
"He was nither of the two candidates."
Archaic or dialectal, and rarely used in modern standard English.
“Nither” belongs to the world of “neither”: a compact, slightly archaic alternative preserved in poetry and regional speech.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nither come from?
“Nither” developed as a dialectal or literary variant of “neither,” with which it shares an Old English origin. In Middle English and later usage, “nether” and “nither” appeared as regional forms meaning “neither,” while “neither” became the standard form. The modern alternation between /ð/ and /θ/ reflects the same historical variation that can be heard between “either” and “nither” in some dialects.
How nither is actually used
The word is uncommon in standard contemporary English. “Neither” is normally preferred in formal writing and everyday speech, while “nither” may occur in literary, archaic, or regional usage.
Easily confused with nither
“Neither” is the standard modern word, while “nither” is a literary or regional alternative with the same meaning.
“Nether” means lower or farther down, whereas “nither” means neither or not either.