| 释义 |
▪ 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.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. vi, Þæt mod..þær þissa tweᵹa yfela auðer ricsað. c893― Oros. iii. ix. §13 ær heora aðer mehte on oþrum siᵹe ᵹeræcan. c897― Gregory's Past. xiv. 86 ᵹif he auðer ðissa forlæt. a1000Riddles lxxxv. 22 Ne uncer awðer. c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) lv. 4 (also cxvii. 6) Nis me eᵹe mannes for ahwæðer. c1200Ormin 2507 All þatt tatt owwþerr hĕre comm Off sellþe & off unnsellþe. Ibid. 9352 ær þann þe Laferrd Jesu Crist Bigann owwþerr to donne. c1230Hali 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. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 36 Nouþir is wel servaunt to ouþir. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxi. 96 Þai er mykill lesse þan owþer of þe oþer. a1450Le 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.
c880Laws of ælfred Introd. 9 Awðer oððe on Ines dæᵹe, mines mæᵹes, oððe on Offan, Myrcena cyninges, oððe on æðelbryhtes. c888K. 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. c893― 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. a900― Solil. (1902) 37 Hwæt wille ic ma cwæðan aðer oððe be mete, oððe be drince, oððe be baðe, oððe be welan, oððe be wyrðscype? c1000Boeth. Metr. xx. 42 Næs æror þe æneᵹu ᵹesceaft þe auht oððe nauht auðer worhte.
c. as adj.
c893K. ælfred Oros. i. xiv. §2 Heora þeh wurdon feawa to lafe on aðre hand. 1571Satir. 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.
1472Presentm. 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.)
c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 94 Ouþer in word or dede has þou greued him. 1340Hampole 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. c1375Cursor M. 14859 (Fairf.) Auþer to deye or to liue. 1390Gower Conf. I. 332 Owther schal he deie or I Withinne a while. c1420Sir Amadace (Camden) xxxix, Authir to gentilmen or to schrewis. c1449Pecock Repr. iii. xvii. 395 This..muste outhir be doon bi hem..or bi othere persoones. c1450Lonelich Grail xli. 290 As thowgh it hadde ben Owther led Oþer ston. 1485Caxton Paris & V. 4 They love outher you or me. 1513Douglas æneis ix. v. 171 The chans turnis, ouder to weyll or wo. 1530Palsgr. Introd. 32 Outher in S..or in one of these thre letters T, U or V. 1567Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 142 Than suld we outher do or die. a1584Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 454 Be tane, And outhir hurt or slane. 1868Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Owther, conj. pr. of Either.
†b. In the connexion outher..outher..: see 2.
2. conj. = or. (Chiefly in ouþer..ouþer.) rare.
a1400Serm. in Rel. Ant. II. 42 In myraclis..þat Crist dude..outher in hymself outher in hise seyntis. a1425Chaucer's Can. Yeom. T. 596 (Harl. MS.) I-maad ouþer of chalk ouþer of glas [Ellesm. ouþer..or, Camb. oþir..oþir]. a1425Cursor M. 9662 (Trin.) Wiþouten mercy ouþer [Laud oþir] reuthe. |