From Middle Englishþe, from Old Englishþēm(“the, that”, demonstrative pronoun), a late variant of sē, the s- (which occurred in the masculine and feminine nominative singular only) having been replaced by the þ- from the oblique stem.
Article
the
Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun
The definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that the noun phrase it immediately precedes is definitely identifiable
because it has already been mentioned, is to be completely specified in the same sentence, or very shortly thereafter.[from 10th c.]
I’m reading the book Mary reviewed. (Compare I’m reading a book Mary reviewed.)
You live on Main Street, don't you? You know, you should tell the mayor the street needs cleaning.
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.
The street that runs all the way through my hometown.
because it is presumed to be definitely known in context or from shared knowledge
Used before a noun designating something considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.[from 10th c.]
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
God save the Queen!
Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.[from 12th c.]
No one in the whole country had seen it before.
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
Take me to the airport/station/hospital/office/park/match/meeting.
Used before a body part, a family member, a pet (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun.[from 12th c.]
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
How's the wife? (= "How is your wife?")
(colloquial)Precedes a familiar nickname or other term of address.
Used in many idiomatic expressions and proverbs to refer to common objects, roles, or situations connected with something definite, as by analogy
square the circle; feel the pinch; beat around the bush; throw the baby out with the bathwater
When stressed, indicates that it describes something which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention.[from 18th c.]
That isthehospital to go to for heart surgery.
Used before a noun phrase beginning with superlative or comparative adjective or an ordinal number, indicating that the noun refers to a single item.
That was the juiciest apple pie ever.
May the better man win.
Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class.[from 9th c.]
The downy woodpecker can be found in the same environments as the hairy woodpecker.
Used with the plural of a surname to indicate the entire family.
The Bushes have held political office for several decades and the Kennedys longer.
Used with an adjective
Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.[from 9th c.]
That apple pie was the best.
Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective.[from 9th c.]
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
One doesn't choose the color of one's chess pieces, the white are assigned to the player who moves first.
Usage notes
Alternative forms
da (d'), teh(informal or dialectal)
de(eye dialect, AAVE)
t'(Northern England)
th'(poetic, usually before a vowel sound)
ye (archaic), ye(archaic, abbreviation), yͤ (archaic, abbreviation)
ẏe (obsolete), ẏe(obsolete, abbreviation)
Synonyms
le
Derived terms
Translations
References
Etymology 2
From Middle Englishthe, thy, thi, from Old Englishþē̆, probably a neuter instrumental form ("by that, thereby")—alongside the more common þȳ and þon—of the demonstrative pronoun sē ("that"). Compare Dutchdes te ("the, the more"), Germandesto ("the, all the more"), Norwegianfordi and Norwegianav di ("because"), Icelandicþví(“the; because”), Faroesetí, Swedishty.
Adverb
the (not comparable)
With a comparative or with more and a verb phrase, establishes a correlation with one or more other such comparatives.
The hotter(,) the better.(comma usually omitted in such very short expressions)
The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.
It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.
With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none.
It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
It was a difficult time, and I’m {none - not any} the wiser for it.
I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.
(with a superlative adjective) Beyond all others.
We went the furthest under her leadership.; The they trusted him the most.
Usage notes
This is called the "comparative correlative", but it is also known as the "correlative construction", the "conditional comparative", or the "the...the construction".
Derived terms
nevertheless
nonetheless
Translations
Etymology 3
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Preposition
the
For each; per.
For more quotations using this term, see Citations:the.
Etymology 4
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
the (uncountable)
A topology name.
See also
References
“the”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
-eth, ETH, Eth, Eth., HET, TEH, eth, eth-, het, teh
Crimean Gothic
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic*sa.
Article
the
the
Usage notes
While it is likely that Crimean Gothic retained grammatical gender, de Busbecq's letter does not mention which articles are used with which words, making it impossible to reconstruct their gender.
Danish
Noun
thec
Alternative spelling of te(“tea”)
Declension
Eastern Arrernte
Pronoun
the
I (first person singular pronoun)
References
2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.
Hadza
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /tʰe/
Pronoun
them (fem.theko)
you (thou)
Related terms
ethebee
Interlingua
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /te/
Noun
the (pluralthes)
tea
Irish
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [hɛ]
Adjective
the
Lenited form of te.
Italian
Noun
the
Misspelling of tè.
Middle English
Etymology 1
Article
the
Alternative form of þe(“the”)
14th c. Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. General Prologue: 1-2.
Etymology 2
Pronoun
the
Alternative form of þe(“thee”)
Etymology 3
Pronoun
the
Alternative form of þei(“they”)
Etymology 4
Verb
the
Alternative form of theen
Murrinh-Patha
Noun
the
ear
See also
ye(incorporated noun)
References
Mark Abley (2003) Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages (in Murrinh-Patha)
Old High German
Alternative forms
de
Particle
the (indeclinable, relative)
that, who, which
References
Braune, Wilhelm. Althochdeutsches Lesebuch, zusammengestellt und mit Glossar versehen
Old Saxon
Etymology 1
From Proto-Germanic*sa. The original s- was replaced by th- by analogy with the other forms, but still preserved in the variant sē.
Determiner
thē
that, that one
them uuīha uuīsa lēstean: To obey that holy wise.
Declension
Descendants
Middle Low German: de
Low German: de
Etymology 2
From Proto-Germanic*þa, from Proto-Indo-European*tó, *te-.
Particle
the (indeclinable, relative)
that, who, which
Phalura
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /tʰe/
Postposition
the (تھےۡ)
to
for
at
References
Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)[3], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
Scots
Etymology
From Old Englishse.
Determiner
the
the
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology
Borrowed from Englishthe, which sounds similar to Serbo-Croatianda.
Conjunction
the (no known Cyrillic variant)
(Internet slang)Alternative spelling of da
neki kreten the ih drka emotivno
some jerk to fuck with them emotionally
the ovo okačim na fb wall, garant ne bih opstala od borKINJa za ženska prava
if I posted this on my FB wall, I surely wouldn't survive the women rights fighters
South Slavey
Etymology
Cognates include Dogribwhe.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [θɛ̀(ʔ)]
Hyphenation: the
Noun
the (stem-dhe-)
belt
Inflection
References
Keren Rice (1989) A Grammar of Slave, Berlin, West Germany: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 38
Swedish
Noun
then
Alternative spelling of te (tea)
Declension
Anagrams
-het, het
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
(Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tʰɛ˧˧]
(Huế) IPA(key): [tʰɛ˧˧]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [tʰɛ˧˧]
Etymology 1
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese紗(SV: sa).
Noun
the
a kind of silk gauze
See also
Etymology 2
Adjective
the • (𦂛, 𫄋)
having a strong and fragrant smell or flavor, usually overlaps with what described as "minty" or "citrusy" in English
See also
Welsh
Noun
the
Aspirate mutation of te.
Mutation
Yola
Article
the
Alternative form of a(“the”)
References
Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 88