Adjacent Words

The definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THE, an adjective or definitive adjective.
1. This adjective is used as a definitive, that is, before nouns which are specific or understood; or it is used to limit their signification to a specific thing or things, or to describe them; as the laws of the twelve tables. The independent tribunals of justice in our country, are the security or private rights,and the best bulwark against arbitrary power. The sun is the source of light and heat.
This he calls the preaching of the cross.
2. The is also used rhetorically before a noun in the singular number, to denote a species by way of distinction; a single thing representing the whole. The fig tree putteth forth her green figs; the almond tree shall flourish; the grasshopper shall be a burden.
3. In poetry, the sometimes loses the final vowel before another vowel.
Th' adorning thee with so much art,
Is but a barb'rous skill.
4. The is used before adjectives in the comparative and superlative degree. The longer we continue in sin, the more difficult it is to reform. The most strenuous exertions will be used to emancipate Greece. The most we can do is to submit; the best we can do; the worst that can happen.

Merriam Webster's

I. definite article Etymology: Middle English, from Old English th?, masculine demonstrative pronoun & definite article, alteration (influenced by oblique cases — as thζs, genitive — & neuter, thζt) of s?; akin to Greek ho, masculine demonstrative pronoun & definite article — more at that Date: before 12th century 1. a. — used as a function word to indicate that a following noun or noun equivalent is definite or has been previously specified by context or by circumstance <put the cat out> b. — used as a function word to indicate that a following noun or noun equivalent is a unique or a particular member of its class <the President> <the Lord> c. — used as a function word before nouns that designate natural phenomena or points of the compass <the night is cold> d. — used as a function word before a noun denoting time to indicate reference to what is present or immediate or is under consideration <in the future> e. — used as a function word before names of some parts of the body or of the clothing as an equivalent of a possessive adjective <how's the arm today> f. — used as a function word before the name of a branch of human endeavor or proficiency <the law> g. — used as a function word in prepositional phrases to indicate that the noun in the phrase serves as a basis for computation <sold by the dozen> h. — used as a function word before a proper name (as of a ship or a well-known building) <the Mayflower> i. — used as a function word before a proper name to indicate the distinctive characteristics of a person or thing <the John Doe that we know wouldn't lie> j. — used as a function word before the plural form of a surname to indicate all the members of a family <the Johnsons> k. — used as a functon word before the plural form of a numeral that is a multiple of ten to denote a particular decade of a century or of a person's life <life in the twenties> l. — used as a function word before the name of a commodity or any familiar appurtenance of daily life to indicate reference to the individual thing, part, or supply thought of as at hand <talked on the telephone> m. — used as a function word to designate one of a class as the best, most typical, best known, or most worth singling out <this is the life> <the pill> — sometimes used before a personal name to denote the most prominent bearer of that name 2. a. (1) — used as a function word with a noun modified by an adjective or by an attributive noun to limit the application of the modified noun to that specified by the adjective or by the attributive noun <the right answer> <Peter the Great> (2) — used as a function word before an absolute adjective or an ordinal number <nothing but the best> <due on the first> b. (1) — used as a function word before a noun to limit its application to that specified by a succeeding element in the sentence <the poet Wordsworth> <the days of our youth> <didn't have the time to write> (2) — used as a function word after a person's name to indicate a characteristic trait or notorious activity specified by the succeeding noun <Jack the Ripper> 3. a. — used as a function word before a singular noun to indicate that the noun is to be understood generically <the dog is a domestic animal> b. — used as a function word before a singular substantivized adjective to indicate an abstract idea <an essay on the sublime> 4. — used as a function word before a noun or a substantivized adjective to indicate reference to a group as a whole <the elite> II. adverb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English thy? by that, instrumental of thζt that Date: before 12th century 1. than before ; than otherwise — used before a comparative <none the wiser for attending> 2. a. to what extent <the sooner the better> b. to that extent <the sooner the better> 3. beyond all others <likes this the best> III. preposition Etymology: ¹the Date: 15th century per 2 <a dollar the dozen>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

before a vowel adj. & adv. --adj. (called the definite article) 1 denoting one or more persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied, or familiar (gave the man a wave; shall let the matter drop; hurt myself in the arm; went to the theatre). 2 serving to describe as unique (the Queen; the Thames). 3 a (foll. by defining adj.) which is, who are, etc. (ignored the embarrassed Mr Smith; Edward the Seventh). b (foll. by adj. used absol.) denoting a class described (from the sublime to the ridiculous). 4 best known or best entitled to the name (with the stressed: no relation to the Kipling; this is the book on this subject). 5 used to indicate a following defining clause or phrase (the book that you borrowed; the best I can do for you; the bottom of a well). 6 a used to indicate that a singular noun represents a species, class, etc. (the cat loves comfort; has the novel a future?; plays the harp well). b used with a noun which figuratively represents an occupation, pursuit, etc. (went on the stage; too fond of the bottle). c (foll. by the name of a unit) a, per (5p in the pound; £5 the square metre; allow 8 minutes to the mile). d colloq. or archaic designating a disease, affliction, etc. (the measles; the toothache; the blues). 7 (foll. by a unit of time) the present, the current (man of the moment; questions of the day; book of the month). 8 Brit. colloq. my, our (the dog; the fridge). 9 used before the surname of the chief of a Scottish or Irish clan (the Macnab). 10 dial. (esp. in Wales) used with a noun characterizing the occupation of the person whose name precedes (Jones the Bread). --adv. (preceding comparatives in expressions of proportional variation) in or by that (or such a) degree; on that account (the more the merrier; the more he gets the more he wants). Phrases and idioms: all the in the full degree to be expected (that makes it all the worse). so much the (tautologically) so much, in that degree (so much the worse for him). Etymology: (adj.) OE, replacing se, seo, thæt (= THAT), f. Gmc: (adv.) f. OE thy, the, instrumental case

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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 difficult it is to reform. ``Yet not the more cease I.'' --Milton. So much the rather thou, Celestial Light, Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers Irradiate. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

The The, v. i. See Thee. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

The 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 That, pron.] A word placed before nouns to limit or individualize their meaning. Note: The was originally a demonstrative pronoun, being a weakened form of that. When placed before adjectives and participles, it converts them into abstract nouns; as, the sublime and the beautiful. --Burke. The is used regularly before many proper names, as of rivers, oceans, ships, etc.; as, the Nile, the Atlantic, the Great Eastern, the West Indies, The Hague. The with an epithet or ordinal number often follows a proper name; as, Alexander the Great; Napoleon the Third. The may be employed to individualize a particular kind or species; as, the grasshopper shall be a burden. --Eccl. xii. 5.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

English Eng"lish, n. 1. Collectively, the people of England; English people or persons. 2. The language of England or of the English nation, and of their descendants in America, India, and other countries. Note: The English language has been variously divided into periods by different writers. In the division most commonly recognized, the first period dates from about 450 to 1150. This is the period of full inflection, and is called Anglo-Saxon, or, by many recent writers, Old English. The second period dates from about 1150 to 1550 (or, if four periods be recognized, from about 1150 to 1350), and is called Early English, Middle English, or more commonly (as in the usage of this book), Old English. During this period most of the inflections were dropped, and there was a great addition of French words to the language. The third period extends from about 1350 to 1550, and is Middle English. During this period orthography became comparatively fixed. The last period, from about 1550, is called Modern English. 3. A kind of printing type, in size between Pica and Great Primer. See Type. Note: The type called English. 4. (Billiards) A twist or spinning motion given to a ball in striking it that influences the direction it will take after touching a cushion or another ball. The King's, or Queen's, English. See under King.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: 'The' is the definite article. It is used at the beginning of noun groups. 'The' is usually pronounced before a consonant and before a vowel, but pronounced when you are emphasizing it. 1. You use the at the beginning of noun groups to refer to someone or something that you have already mentioned or identified. A waiter came and hovered. John caught my look and we both got up and, ignoring the waiter, made our way to the buffet... Six of the 38 people were Russian citizens. DET 2. You use the at the beginning of a noun group when the first noun is followed by an 'of' phrase or a clause which identifies the person or thing. There has been a slight increase in the consumption of meat... Of the 9,660 cases processed last year, only 10 per cent were totally rejected. DET 3. You use the in front of some nouns that refer to something in our general experience of the world. It's always hard to speculate about the future... Amy sat outside in the sun... DET 4. You use the in front of nouns that refer to people, things, services, or institutions that are associated with everyday life. The doctor's on his way... Who was that on the phone?... DET 5. You use the instead of a possessive determiner, especially when you are talking about a part of someone's body or a member of their family. 'How's the family?'—'Just fine, thank you.'... I patted him on the head... DET 6. You use the in front of a singular noun when you want to make a general statement about things or people of that type. An area in which the computer has made considerable strides in recent years is in playing chess... After dogs, the horse has had the closest relationship with man. DET: DET sing-n 7. You use the with the name of a musical instrument when you are talking about someone's ability to play the instrument. She was trying to teach him to play the guitar. DET 8. You use the with nationality adjectives and nouns to talk about the people who live in a country. The Japanese, Americans, and even the French and Germans, judge economic policies by results. DET: DET pl-n 9. You use the with words such as 'rich', 'poor', 'old', or 'unemployed' to refer to all people of a particular type. ...care for the elderly and the disabled. DET: DET pl-n 10. If you want to refer to a whole family or to a married couple, you can make their surname into a plural and use the in front of it. The Taylors decided that they would employ an architect to do the work. DET: DET pl-n-proper 11. You use the in front of an adjective when you are referring to a particular thing that is described by that adjective. He knows he's wishing for the impossible... I thought you might like to read the enclosed. DET: DET adj/-ed 12. You use the to indicate that you have enough of the thing mentioned for a particular purpose. She may not have the money to maintain or restore her property... We must have the patience to continue to work until we will find a peaceful solution... = sufficient DET: DET n to-inf, DET n for n 13. You use the with some titles, place names, and other names. The company was alleged to have leaked the news to the Daily Mail. ...the Albert Hall... DET 14. You use the in front of numbers such as first, second, and third. The meeting should take place on the fifth of May... Marco Polo is said to have sailed on the Pacific on his way to Java in the thirteenth century... DET: DET ord 15. You use the in front of numbers when they refer to decades. It's sometimes hard to imagine how bad things were in the thirties. DET: DET pl-num 16. You use the in front of superlative adjectives and adverbs. Brisk daily walks are still the best exercise for young and old alike... DET: DET superl 17. You use the in front of each of two comparative adjectives or adverbs when you are describing how one amount or quality changes in relation to another. The longer you have been in shape in the past, the quicker you will regain fitness in future... DET: DET compar DET compar 18. When you express rates, prices, and measurements, you can use the to say how many units apply to each of the items being measured. New Japanese cars averaged 13 km to the litre in 1981... Some analysts predicted that the exchange rate would soon be $2 to the pound. DET: DET sing-n 19. You use the to indicate that something or someone is the most famous, important, or best thing of its kind. In spoken English, you put more stress on it, and in written English, you often underline it or write it in capitals or italics. Camden Market is the place to be on a Saturday or Sunday... DET