both
both Lexical Profile
both Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Used before a plural noun or pronoun to refer to two people or things, identified and considered together.
"She held the delicate porcelain vase carefully with both hands."
• conjunction
Used before the first of two words or phrases connected by 'and' to emphasize that a statement applies equally to each of the two.
"The new software update improves both security and performance."
• pronoun
The two people or things previously mentioned or easily identified; the one as well as the other.
"I interviewed two candidates this morning, and both were highly qualified for the position."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a correlative conjunction ('both... and...'), maintain parallel grammatical structure by placing the same part of speech or phrase type immediately after 'both' and after 'and'. Do not use 'both' to refer to three or more items; use 'all' instead.
• Rhymes for both
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'bothe', borrowed from Old Norse 'báðir' ('both'), or reinforced by Old English 'bā þā' (literally 'both the'), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bai ('both').