The one and the other; the two; the pair or the couple, in reference to two persons or things specially mentioned, and denoting that neither of them is to be excluded, either absolutely or (as with either) as an alternative, from the statement.[The genitive both's (ME. bothes, bothers, earlier bother, bathre) is now disused; in the earlier period it was joined usually with the genitive plural of the personal pronoun. Subsequently the simple both, equivalent to of both, was used.Including the two (terms or notions mentioned): an adverb preceding two coördinate terms (words or phrases) joined by and, and standing thus in an apparent conjunctional correlation, both … and, equivalent to not only … but also. Both is thus used sometimes before three or more coördinate terms.