Your YOUR, a. Pronom. pron. yure. [G.] 1. Belonging to you; equally
applicable to both numbers; as your father; your heart; your prince;
your subjects. 2. It is used indefinitely. Your medalist and
your critic are much nearer related than the world imagine. 3. Yours
is used as a substitute for a noun in the nominative or objective. This
book is yours. I have no pen; give me yours. My sword and yours are kin.
your poss.pron. (attrib.) 1 of or belonging to you or yourself or yourselves (your house; your own business). 2 colloq. usu. derog. much talked of; well known (none so fallible as your
self-styled expert). Etymology: OE eower genit. of ge YE(1)
You \You\ ([=u]), pron. [Possess. Your ([=u]r) or Yours
([=u]rz); dat. & obj. You.] [OE. you, eou, eow, dat. &
acc., AS. e['o]w, used as dat. & acc. of ge, g[=e], ye; akin
to OFries. iu, io, D. u, G. euch, OHG. iu, dat., iuwih, acc.,
Icel. y[eth]r, dat. & acc., Goth. izwis; of uncertain origin.
[root]189. Cf. Your.]
The pronoun of the second person, in the nominative, dative,
and objective case, indicating the person or persons
addressed. See the Note under Ye.
Ye go to Canterbury; God you speed. --Chaucer.
Good sir, I do in friendship counsel you To leave this
place. --Shak.
In vain you tell your parting lover You wish fair winds
may waft him over. --Prior.
Note: Though you is properly a plural, it is in all ordinary
discourse used also in addressing a single person, yet
properly always with a plural verb. ``Are you he that
hangs the verses on the trees, wherein Rosalind is so
admired ?'' --Shak. You and your are sometimes used
indefinitely, like we, they, one, to express persons
not specified. ``The looks at a distance like a
new-plowed land; but as you come near it, you see
nothing but a long heap of heavy, disjointed clods.''
--Addison. ``Your medalist and critic are much nearer
related than the world imagine.'' --Addison. ``It is
always pleasant to be forced to do what you wish to do,
but what, until pressed, you dare not attempt.''
--Hook. You is often used reflexively for yourself of
yourselves. ``Your highness shall repose you at the
tower.'' --Shak.
Your \Your\ ([=u]r), pron. & a. [OE. your, [yogh]our, eowr,
eower, AS. e['o]wer, originally used as the gen. of ge,
g[=e], ye; akin to OFries. iuwer your, OS. iuwar, D. uw, OHG.
iuw[=e]r, G. euer, Icel. y[eth]ar, Goth. izwara, izwar, and
E. you. [root]189. See You.]
The form of the possessive case of the personal pronoun you.
Note: The possessive takes the form yours when the noun to
which it refers is not expressed, but implied; as, this
book is yours. ``An old fellow of yours.'' --Chaucer.
Thou \Thou\, pron. [Sing.: nom. Thou; poss. Thyor Thine;
obj. Thee. Pl.: nom. You; poss. Youror Yours; obj.
You.] [OE. thou, [thorn]u, AS. [eth][=u], [eth]u; akin to
OS. & OFries. thu, G., Dan. & Sw. du, Icel. [thorn][=u],
Goth. [thorn]u, Russ. tui, Ir. & Gael. tu, W. ti, L. tu, Gr.
sy`, Dor. ty`, Skr. tvam. [root]185. Cf. Thee, Thine, Te
Deum}.]
The second personal pronoun, in the singular number, denoting
the person addressed; thyself; the pronoun which is used in
addressing persons in the solemn or poetical style.
Art thou he that should come? --Matt. xi. 3.
Note: ``In Old English, generally, thou is the language of a
lord to a servant, of an equal to an equal, and
expresses also companionship, love, permission,
defiance, scorn, threatening: whilst ye is the language
of a servant to a lord, and of compliment, and further
expresses honor, submission, or entreaty.'' --Skeat.
Note: Thou is now sometimes used by the Friends, or Quakers,
in familiar discourse, though most of them corruptly
say thee instead of thou.
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