the

the
Sunday.
[1175-1225; ME]
1. the sacrament in commemoration of the Last Supper; communion; Mass; Eucharist.
2. See Last Supper.
[1350-1400; ME]
the1
stressed /dhee/; unstressed before a consonant /dheuh/; unstressed before a vowel /dhee/, definite article.
1. (used, esp. before a noun, with a specifying or particularizing effect, as opposed to the indefinite or generalizing force of the indefinite article a or an): the book you gave me; Come into the house.
2. (used to mark a proper noun, natural phenomenon, ship, building, time, point of the compass, branch of endeavor, or field of study as something well-known or unique): the sun; the Alps; the Queen Elizabeth; the past; the West.
3. (used with or as part of a title): the Duke of Wellington; the Reverend John Smith.
4. (used to mark a noun as indicating the best-known, most approved, most important, most satisfying, etc.): the skiing center of the U.S.; If you're going to work hard, now is the time.
5. (used to mark a noun as being used generically): The dog is a quadruped.
6. (used in place of a possessive pronoun, to note a part of the body or a personal belonging): He won't be able to play football until the leg mends.
7. (used before adjectives that are used substantively, to note an individual, a class or number of individuals, or an abstract idea): to visit the sick; from the sublime to the ridiculous.
8. (used before a modifying adjective to specify or limit its modifying effect): He took the wrong road and drove miles out of his way.
9. (used to indicate one particular decade of a lifetime or of a century): the sixties; the gay nineties.
10. (one of many of a class or type, as of a manufactured item, as opposed to an individual one): Did you listen to the radio last night?
11. enough: He saved until he had the money for a new car. She didn't have the courage to leave.
12. (used distributively, to note any one separately) for, to, or in each; a or an: at one dollar the pound.
[bef. 900; ME, OE, uninflected s. of the demonstrative pronoun. See THAT]
Pronunciation. As shown above, the pronunciation of the definite article THE changes, primarily depending on whether the following sound is a consonant or a vowel. Before a consonant sound the pronunciation is /dheuh/: the book, the mountain /dheuh book, dheuh mown"tn/. Before a vowel sound it is usually /dhee/, sometimes /dhi/: the apple, the end /dhee/ or /dhi ap"euhl, dhee/ or /dhi end/. As an emphatic form ("I didn't say a book - I said the book.") or a citation form ("The word the is a definite article."), the usual pronunciation is /dhee/, although in both of these uses of the stressed form, /dhee/ is often replaced by /dhu/, especially among younger speakers.
the2
before a consonant /dheuh/; before a vowel /dhee/, adv.
1. (used to modify an adjective or adverb in the comparative degree and to signify "in or by that," "on that account," "in or by so much," or "in some or any degree"): He's been on vacation and looks the better for it.
2. (used in correlative constructions to modify an adjective or adverb in the comparative degree, in one instance with relative force and in the other with demonstrative force, and signifying "by how much ... by so much" or "in what degree ... in that degree"): the more the merrier; The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
[bef. 900; ME; OE the, thy, instrumental case of demonstrative pronoun. See THAT, LEST]
word (def. 10).
[1520-30]

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The La's — Promotional photograph of The La s in 1990. L to R: Lee Mavers, Peter Cammy Camell, Neil Mavers and John Power Background information Origin …   Wikipedia

  • The D4 — Origin Auckland, New Zealand Genres Garage rock revival Years active 1998–2006 Labels Hollywood Records/Flying Nun Records/Infectious …   Wikipedia

  • The — ([th][=e], when emphatic or alone; [th][ e], obscure before a vowel; [th]e, obscure before a consonant; 37), definite article. [AS. [eth][=e], a later form for earlier nom. sing. masc. s[=e], formed under the influence of the oblique cases. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • The — The, adv. [AS. [eth][=e], [eth][=y], instrumental case of s[=e], se[ o], [eth][ae]t, the definite article. See 2d {The}.] By that; by how much; by so much; on that account; used before comparatives; as, the longer we continue in sin, the more… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • The — ([th][=e]), v. i. See {Thee}. [Obs.] Chaucer. Milton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • The Go-Go's — Infobox musical artist | Name = Go Go s Background = group or band Birth name = Alias = Origin = Los Angeles, California Genre = Pop, Rock, New Wave, Teen pop, Pop punk Years active = 1978 1985 1990 present Label = Sony BMG Music Entertainment… …   Wikipedia

  • The B-52's — Infobox musical artist | Name = The B 52 s Img capt = The B 52 s at Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, July 21, 2007 Img size = 250 Background = group or band Landscape = yes Origin = Athens, Georgia, U.S. Genre = New wave, pop rock, rock… …   Wikipedia

  • The O.C. — This article is about the FOX television series. For the location from which the series derives its name, see Orange County, California. The O.C. Intertitle Card Seasons 3 4 Format Teen …   Wikipedia

  • the — I. definite article Etymology: Middle English, from Old English thē, masculine demonstrative pronoun & definite article, alteration (influenced by oblique cases as thæs, genitive & neuter, thæt) of sē; akin to Greek ho, masculine demonstrative… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • The N — Infobox TV channel name = The N logofile = The N new.png logosize = logoalt = launch = April 1, 2002 picture format = 480i (SDTV) share = replaced = Nick GAS (Cable) share as of = share source = network = owner = (Viacom) slogan = TV For Teens,… …   Wikipedia

  • THÉ — s. m. Arbrisseau qui croit à la Chine et au Japon, et dont les feuilles, auxquelles on donne ce même nom, servent à faire une infusion qui se prend chaude. Thé vert. Thé bou. Thé impérial. Boite à thé.   Il se dit également de L infusion de thé.… …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 7eme edition (1835)

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”